AI Policies

A whiteboard with 'AI?' written in bold, black ink. (Photo by Nahrizul Kadri.) — Photo by Nahrizul Kadri.

Definitions

For our purposes, "AI" includes machine learning, LLM (large language models), generative "AI," and other "artificial intelligence" tools that perform any of the following tasks for the user:

Generate any of the following:
- audio
- ideas or prompts
- images
- outlines
- pitches or query letters
- programming code
- summaries
- text
- video
Substantively* edit or rewrite existing text or substantively* modify existing images
Perform research not verified by the user as being factual and unfabricated

Our definiton does not include basic tools — such as spelling and grammar checkers, and translation tools — that do not perform substantial or stylistic rewrites. It also does not include using graphic design and photo manipulation software by the artist to alter their own images.

Implications of AI in Publishing

For agents and editors: There are legal questions for publishers and agents to consider regarding rights involving AI-assisted works. The legal landscape regarding "AI" is a burgeoning field. As of 2025, the U.S. Copyright Office has determined that human authorship is required for a work to be eligible for copyright. The legal implications of AIs being trained on existing copyrighted material are still being determined.

For submitters: We always recommend checking the publisher/agent's site for the full details of their policy before submitting any AI-assisted works.

AI Policy Options for Publisher and Agent Listings

ATTN Publishers & Agents:
If you don't allow AI submissions or you have restrictions for AI use, be sure to include that information on your submissions page(s). After all, unwanted submissions are a waste of everyone's time. (You may use the text from one of the examples below if you'd like.)

Duotrope lists any publisher or agent who meets our criteria. We do not have any rules prohibiting publishers and agents that allow some AI-assisted works to be submitted, that publish some AI-assisted works, or that use AI in their editing and publication processes*. However, we do not list publishers or agents that only accept AI-assisted work or that use AI to help make editorial decisions.

Some writers and artists accept AI, while others don't want anything to do with it. We think individuals should be able to make their own informed decisions without us imposing a viewpoint on them. In the About section of each of our active publisher and agent listings, we provide their "AI Policy." For simplicity, we use a few broad categories, based on the information provided on their submission guidelines:

Human-created work only; No AI use allowed: Example: "No AI or LLM tools may be used wholly or in part in the creation of your work. Likewise, we do not use any AI or LLM tools in the editing or publication process."
Human-created work preferred, but limited use of AI tools may be allowed in some circumstances: Example: "We prefer that all work submitted be entirely your creation. However, we understand that AI tools can be useful in some circumstances. If you used AI or LLM tools for any part of the creation of your work, you must disclose exactly how and why you used it."
Use of AI tools may be allowed in some circumstances: Example: "AI tools can be useful in some circumstances. If you used AI or LLM tools for any part of the creation of your work, you must disclose exactly how and why you used it."
No restrictions on use of AI: Example: "We permit the use of AI and LLM tools in the creation of your work, but please disclose exactly how and why you used it."
Unknown: If the information is not explicitly stated or it's unclear to us, we will list it as "Unknown." (Note that simply stipulating that work must be "original" is not explicit enough for our needs.)

Use of AI or LLM tools in the editing and publication process

AI for Editorial Decisions: If you use AI, LLM, or machine learning tools to make editorial decisions or judgments at any stage of the process, your publication does not qualify for a listing at Duotrope. As of 2026, current technology is not capable of making human-level editorial judgment.

However, if you use AI for other purposes — such as creating images and proofreading manuscripts — that is permitted, although we recommend that you disclose this to your submitters and readership. If you use AI tools yourselves but don't allow AI use by your submitters, the AI Policy on your listing will indicate that some AI is permitted.

AI Policy Statistics for Publisher and Agent Listings

Here are the statistics for AI Policies of our active publisher and agents listing where the AI Policy is known:^*

Legend:
No AI 91.2%
Human Preferred 3.3%
Some AI 4.4%
AI Permitted 1.1%

Notes: These statistics are calculated twice a day. Last compiled: 4 September 2026 8:05 PM UTC (less than a minute ago). They do not include scholarly publishers.
* 63.2% of active, non-scholarly listings have "Unknown" AI policies.

Duotrope's AI Policy

You can find Duotrope's full AI policy in our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

Duosuma: Bots and Unwanted AI Submissions

See how, Duosuma, our submission manager platform, can help publishers prevent unwanted bot and AI submissions. The article also gives advice for all publishers and agents on how to mitigate unwanted bot and AI submissions, even if they use a different submission manager system.