COVEN PRESS’ AI STATEMENT

Coven Press acknowledges the intrinsic human element of creativity and considers the personal threads that we weave through our work as foundational to creation. Language is the tool of the writer – a tool sharpened by human experience.

We understand that AI can at times allow access, remove certain barriers and be used as a helpful aid when brainstorming or planning. We also acknowledge that AI can be used to create time and mental space – ever-diminishing resources – by taking care of otherwise menial or administrative tasks, or by simply taking the load of drafting an inconvenient email or sorting an otherwise incomprehensible idea into manageable chunks.

Coven Press does not believe that generative AI currently has a place in the creation of art, be it text, visual or audio. Coven Press also firmly believes in protecting the copyright of all artists everywhere. Copyright allows for expression free from fear of intellectual theft and incentivises the creation of new ideas and work. Copyright is essential and must be protected to maintain the integrity of the arts industry, in Australia and beyond. Using the work of authors and artists without permission, licence or contractual obligations to train generative AI is against what Coven Press believes. Further to this, the environmental impacts of AI data centres on our world’s finite and diminishing resources – the sheer amount of water required to cool electrical equipment, the electronic waste created by data centres and the harmful methods used to mine the materials needed – aren’t in alignment with the values of the Coven Press team. We aim to leave the world better than we found it, or, at the very least, reduce our harmful impact on the world.

At Coven Press, we do not use generative AI in any aspect of the work we perform. All graphics, covers and design elements are created by designers using imagery (stock or illustrated) attributable to an in-house or external designer. All Coven Press documents are drafted, reviewed, formatted and proofed in-house by the team, over many long hours. All manuscripts are edited by in-house editors. With AI tools now embedded into word processing platforms (e.g. Copilot in Microsoft Word), it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid AI. Some minor grammar and punctuation suggestions through the use of Microsoft Word’s internal spelling or grammar check may be accepted by an editor in order to expedite the process, however, Coven Press ensures that human judgement is used in accepting or rejecting these suggestions and any change to content or style is performed solely by an in-house editor free of generative AI input.

Coven Press supports a robust, free, accessible and vibrant arts community, unencumbered by the intellectual and creative consequences of generative AI.

 JOIN THOUSANDS OF CREATIVES AND SIGN THE AI STATEMENT

“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”