At J., our journalism is produced by human reporters and editors. That is not going to change. But like every newsroom today, we are navigating a world in which artificial intelligence tools are increasingly woven into the fabric of how information is gathered, organized and communicated. We want to be honest with you about how we approach that reality. The less time our journalists spend on mechanical tasks, the more time they have for the reporting that matters most to you.

What AI is — and isn’t — doing at J.

No story in J. is written by AI. Every article, headline and caption you read has been reported, written and edited by a member of our staff or a human contributor. When AI tools play a significant role in producing news content that appears in our publication, we will tell you. 

That said, our journalists do use AI-powered tools to help them do their jobs better. These are assistants, not authors. Here is what that looks like in practice:

Tools we use

  • Interview transcription software to convert recorded conversations into searchable text. Reporters always review the original recording for accuracy before quoting anyone.
  • AI-assisted search tools to help surface background information, documents and data. All facts are independently verified before publication.
  • Summarization tools to help our team process large volumes of information — long public meetings, lengthy documents and similar material — more efficiently.
  • AI tools within design software (such as photo editing and graphic creation) for visual production tasks.
  • Tools to help generate headline options and article summaries, which are always reviewed and edited by a human editor before publication.

Photos and graphics

J. does not use AI-generated images as substitutes for real photographs of news events or people. We may occasionally use AI-generated illustrations in non-news contexts — for example, as artwork to accompany a feature, opinion piece or special section. We may also use AI to generate a chart of infographics to visualize data that we have collected. When we do, it will be clearly labeled in the caption.

Our visual journalists produce original photographic work. AI tools may be used for minor photo editing tasks (such as background adjustments) consistent with standard industry practice.

When we disclose AI use

We will include a disclosure whenever AI played a significant role in producing news content that you see. We will not label every story in which a reporter used an AI transcription tool or searched a database. But when AI materially shaped what you read, we will tell you, and we will tell you specifically how.

What we will never do

  • Use AI to write news stories, features or opinion pieces.
  • Publish AI-generated images without clearly labeling them.
  • Use AI in any way intended to mislead our readers.
  • Substitute AI fact-checking for human verification.

This policy will evolve

AI technology is changing fast. Our policies will change with it. We are committed to keeping this page updated and to continuing the conversation with our readers about how these tools affect our journalism. If you have questions or concerns, we want to hear from you.

Last updated: June 10, 2026