AI assisted
Human-led workflow
I use AI for brainstorming, research, or editing. I make the editorial decisions, verify the final text and sources, and take responsibility for what I publish.
AI transparency for publishers
Say where AI helped. Say who stands behind the result.
Start with a clear AI-use statement for your newsletter or publication. Make it accurate for your workflow, then create a public receipt for the exact words you publish.
Copy, edit, sign
Three honest starting points
Choose the statement closest to your process. Replace broad categories with the tools and tasks you actually use. Only sign a claim you are willing to make publicly.
AI drafted
Human-reviewed draft
AI may produce draft language for this publication. I review and revise the final text, check its claims, and accept responsibility for what I publish.
No generative AI
Human-authored wording
I wrote this text without generative AI producing its wording. I reviewed the final version and take responsibility for what I publish.
Make the statement yours. If AI helped only with outlining, say that. If it drafted sentences, say that. If you did not independently verify every source, do not claim that you did. A precise disclosure is more useful than a sweeping label.
For Substack publishers
Sign your "How I make this" statement
Substack gives publishers a publication-level place to describe how their work is made. A receipt gives that statement a stable timestamp and content fingerprint without claiming to overrule Substack's AI scan.
A simple publishing workflow
- Choose the closest template and edit it until every sentence is accurate.
- Create a receipt and copy its public link.
- Add the statement and link to your publication's "How I make this" field or another visible policy location.
- Update the disclosure and create a new receipt when your process materially changes.
Substack explains where the setting appears and how its Pangram-powered scan works in its official support article.
Example format
This is a format example, not a real receipt or endorsement.
How I make this
I use AI for brainstorming and copy editing. I make the editorial decisions, check the sources I cite, and take responsibility for what I publish.
Signed disclosure: https://signedbyahuman.com/s/[receipt-id]
Be exact about the boundary
What the receipt adds
The useful promise is modest: readers can see the statement that was recorded, when it was recorded, whether the text still matches, and which verification signals are attached.
It records
- The exact disclosure or text submitted for a hosted receipt.
- Whether the signer says they stand behind it, wrote it, or witnessed it.
- A timestamp, expiry time, and cryptographic content fingerprints.
- The bot-resistance, account, device, phone, or payment signals actually completed and listed.
It does not establish
- That no AI tool contributed to the text.
- That the signer is honest or produced every word.
- That the content is accurate, original, lawful, or endorsed by a platform.
- That the receipt satisfies a law, contract, policy, or professional standard.
Questions worth asking
AI disclosure FAQ
A good disclosure explains the workflow. A receipt makes that explanation inspectable.
Does a signed disclosure prove that a post is AI-free?
No. It records a person's explicit statement and the verification signals completed for that receipt. It does not detect AI or independently prove authorship.
Can I edit these templates?
Yes. You should. Name the tasks and tools that matter in your process, remove anything that is not true, and make your review responsibilities specific.
Should I sign every post?
Start with one publication-level policy if your workflow is consistent. Use per-post receipts when the process or claim changes, or when a specific piece needs a separate record.
Does the receipt replace Substack's AI scan?
No. A scan estimates something about how text was produced. A receipt records what a person declared and the signals attached to that declaration. They answer different questions.
Make the disclosure accurate, then stand behind it.
Start with the AI-assisted template and edit it in the signing flow.