AI and TLC: Guidance for Writers
Last updated: 10th August 2026
Increasingly, we have noticed that we are receiving works by writers who have used AI to assist them in producing work they then submit to us for our Editing Services. This might include using AI to generate ideas, to draft, to revise, and to create accompanying imagery.
In a fast-moving field, we felt it was important to provide some clarity on definitions, usage, and our position on AI here at The Literary Consultancy. This Guidance will be reviewed regularly. Have questions? Please feel free to email us:
What is AI?
We define Artificial Intelligence (AI) as “the ability of machines or software to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence. AI systems can process data, learn from it, and make decisions or predictions based on that data. AI is a broad field that encompasses many different types of systems and approaches to machine intelligence, including rule-base AI, machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing and robotics”. (Charity Excellence Framework AI Resources)
What’s the difference between Traditional and Generative AI?
The two most commonly talked-about types of AI in the creative field are Traditional AI and Generative AI. Here’s what they each mean:
Traditional AI focuses on performing a specific task intelligently. It refers to systems designed to respond to a particular set of inputs. These systems can learn from data that has been inputted, and make decisions or predictions based on that data; they do not invent new data. Examples of Traditional AI include voice assisted programmes like Siri and Alexa, recommendation engines on commerce and shopping platforms from Amazon to Waterstones, or search engine algorithms.
Generative AI refers to a group of algorithms and models (including Large Language Models or LLMs) that are capable of producing entirely new content, including text, images, videos and strategies. These systems include things like ChatGPT. The capture of online data used to train generative AI systems is currently not well regulated, with copyright laws not catching up to the speed of AI advancing. As a result, there is evidenced use of copyrighted material original to artists and creatives without any credit or remuneration – in other words, writers’ and artists’ work is consistently being used to train generative AI models without their consent. This is why the use of generative AI to create or assist with writing is the root of substantial and sometimes heated debate.
What is TLC’s position and how does it use AI?
TLC aligns itself fully with the Society of Authors’ position on Generative AI, which they define as AI models that have been trained on copyrighted work without permission or payment to the creators and originators. We support all authors’ right to protect their intellectual property and to receive remuneration for their creative work and align with the Human Authored campaign of the SoA about which you can read here.
We also take seriously the immense ecological impacts of AI more generally on the climate and environment. These impacts include climate and air pollution, pressure on water resources, the impact on mineral resources and on our marine ecosystems. Read more here.
TLC does not use generative AI to support any of our processes.
- Our editing services are human-delivered at all times;
- Our training protocols are all human-delivered;
- Our TLC for Business content and training resources are human-authored;
- All TLC website content is human-authored including our Blog;
- TLC Job Applications are read and processed by humans;
- TLC Bursary Applications are read and processed by humans;
- We do not use generative AI to create any of our marketing, advertising, or related imagery and employ and pay at fair rates human designers, copywriters, and other creative freelancers for any of our outsourced work.
We respect the work and labour of artists.
What is TLC’s view on clients using AI in their submitted works?
If you have used assistive technology for access purposes, please know we completely understand how necessary these kinds of technologies are for many authors, including those with disabilities. Most of these technologies use Traditional AI, not Generative AI (for instance, voice assistance, captioning, etc).
If you have used assistive technology to support your original ideas and original writing, we may still be able to support you. In alignment with Hachette Book Group’s very useful AI guidance for writers, we support writers who may “use artificial intelligence technologies to streamline or otherwise assist in operational processes consistent with [the commitment to human creativity and the protection of its value]”.
If you are using AI to generate ideas and write or revise your work and wish to pursue commercial publication, it is important to be aware that currently the publishing industry is grappling with the ethics of this in cases where the provenance is no longer original to the author. There have been high profile examples of book deals being rescinded due to the suspected use of AI, and literary competitions under fire for suspected AI-generated works getting through and being listed, or even winning.
If you are using AI to generate images to accompany your writing (e.g., for picture books or illustrated fiction and non fiction), please be advised that you will need to ensure you have the right to use and distribute those images. If your intention is to submit this work to publishers, please be aware that publishers will only be able to use artwork that is entirely original, or for which relevant permissions have been secured, for legal purposes. They will also often use their own illustrators.
If work has been entirely AI-generated and written, we are unfortunately unable to accept it for our services as our priority is and has always been the celebration of human creativity through storytelling.
This is an evolving field and things are changing quickly. We will be revisiting this Guidance regularly and staying in touch with relevant partners to ensure we have up to date information for ourselves, our staff, our editors and our writing community. We are also working on an AI policy which will be available soon.