(Updated 29-May-2026)
As the use and misuse of generative AI becomes more prevalent, we felt the need to be open and clear about our policy and opinions on its use.
Technology changes continuously, so this document is intended to be a general guide, and we will review cases on an individual basis. We embrace new technology where it helps artists to express their own ideas and creativity, so this is not a witch-hunt.
DEFNITION OF AI
The term AI covers a wide spectrum of tools and processes, and there are many kinds of AI.
Our main concern here is with what is known as GENERATIVE AI. A tool which is used to create ‘original’ content.
Often these tools are trained using material ingested from existing works of art, literature, articles etc. Often this material is used without the creator’s consent.
Other AI tools such as spelling or grammar checkers, assistive or procedural technology in our opinion do not pose such a threat to the creative community and in fact can be a positive force.
USE OF AI
At Oxford eBooks and our publishing arm sci-fi-cafe, we do not use generative AI tools to produce content. This includes cover images, illustrations, book content, audio and spoken word.
Every book we publish on our imprints has been entirely written by a human being, the cover art has been drawn by a human artist and the audiobooks read by real, talented people.
We will only ever use AI or software tools as an assistive technology, for processes such as spell-checking or where such tools form an integral part of larger software packages but do not GENERATE content.
Some of our content is outsourced, such as music and sounds for our audiobooks and promotional videos. We try to source responsibly from providers such as GHOSTHACK who also have a strong no AI policy.
Any stock artwork is sourced from reliable providers with the NO AI filter turned on, then the provenance checked.
In short:
- NO AI WRITTEN BOOKS OR TEXT
- NO AI IMAGES IN OUR BOOK COVERS
- NO AI VOICES IN OUR AUDIOBOOKS
- NO AI MUSIC IN OUR AUDIOBOOKS OR VIDEOS
CLIENT PROJECTS
We have introduced a simple, new line in our business terms for clients who wish us to work on their publishng projects. This states:
- You confirm that generative AI has not been substantively used in the creation of your project’s content.
In doing so, we hope to discourage the distribution of machine-generated content.
OUR PUBLISHING
As of May 2026. All new books, eBooks and audiobooks created and published through our own imprints will be clearly marked with a “No AI” label proudly stating our support of human creativity.
In time, our back-catalogue will also acquire this label.