A plain-English no AI policy for freelancers, artists, teachers, and anyone
who wants to draw a clear line — free to copy, customize, and publish.
More freelancers, artists, educators, and businesses are adopting a formal no AI policy — a
clear public statement that their work is human-made, not generated or edited by artificial intelligence tools.
Whether you want a no AI policy for your website, a no AI clause for client contracts, or a classroom
policy for your school, the free templates below give you the exact language to do it.
All templates are in the public domain — copy, edit, and use them however you like.
Template 1
No AI Policy — Website / Public Statement
Use this on your website footer, portfolio, or "about" page to tell clients and audiences that
your work is human-made. Customize the bracketed fields.
NO AI POLICY
[Your name / Studio / Organization] does not use artificial intelligence tools to generate,
draft, edit, or automate our core work — including [writing / artwork / design / code /
music / photography / decisions — edit as appropriate].
What this means:
• Everything we produce for clients and audiences is created by human professionals.
• We do not use AI image generators, AI writing tools, or AI code assistants to create
deliverables unless you explicitly request and approve it in writing.
• When AI tools assist with administrative tasks (calendar management, scheduling, etc.),
it is clearly disclosed.
Why we have this policy:
We believe in the value of human skill, judgment, and craft. Our clients hire us for our
perspective and expertise — not for a machine's approximation of it. We also believe that
widespread AI use harms the livelihoods of working creatives and knowledge workers.
Questions or concerns? Contact us at [email / contact form link].
Last reviewed: [Month Year]
Template 2
No AI Clause — Freelance Contract Language
Add this no AI clause to your freelance contracts, service agreements, or statements of work.
It gives clients a clear guarantee and protects you legally.
NO AI CLAUSE
The Contractor represents and warrants that all deliverables provided under this Agreement
are created by human professionals. Deliverables do not incorporate output from AI generative
tools — including but not limited to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion,
DALL-E, GitHub Copilot, or similar systems — without the Client's prior written consent.
The Contractor may use AI tools for administrative purposes (scheduling, invoicing, spell-check)
but not for generating, substantially drafting, or editing any deliverable covered by this
Agreement.
Breach of this clause entitles the Client to [specify remedy — e.g., full refund / rework at
no charge / contract termination].
This clause applies to the full term of the Agreement and any renewals.
Template 3
No AI Policy — For Artists & Creators
A shorter, shareable version for social media bios, Etsy shops, Patreon pages, or artist statements.
NO AI GUARANTEE
All work sold or shared by [Name / Studio] is 100% human-made.
I do not use AI image generators, AI writing tools, or any AI system to create, edit,
or refine the work I sell or publish. Every piece is made by hand — my hand.
I believe AI art tools are trained on the work of human artists without consent or
compensation, and I won't participate in that system.
If you see my work used to train an AI without my permission, please let me know.
Template 4
No AI Policy — Classroom & Educator Use
A clear classroom no AI policy for teachers and institutions. Include it in your syllabus
or course contract.
AI POLICY FOR THIS COURSE
In this course, all submitted work must be your own, original, human-written work.
The use of AI writing tools (including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and similar
tools) to generate, substantially draft, or edit submitted assignments is not permitted
unless explicitly stated in the assignment instructions.
Why this matters:
Learning to think, write, and reason through problems is the core purpose of this course.
Using AI to do that thinking for you undermines your own development and is a form of
academic dishonesty under [Institution]'s Academic Integrity Policy.
What "AI use" means in this context:
• Prohibited: Using AI to generate or rewrite your essay, analysis, code, or responses.
• Allowed: Using AI as a dictionary, calculator, or research starting point (with citation).
• Ask if unsure: When in doubt, ask before submitting.
Violations will be handled under [Institution]'s Academic Integrity policy.
How to use these templates
Tell clients no AI in 4 steps
1
Pick your template
Choose the version that fits your context — website, contract, artist statement, or classroom.
2
Customize the fields
Fill in your name, the type of work you do, your contact details, and any exceptions that apply.
3
Publish it
Add it to your website footer, portfolio, Etsy shop, social bio, or client onboarding documents.
4
Enforce it
If the policy is in a contract, make sure you specify the remedy for breach before signing.
Questions & answers
No AI policy: common questions
▸ Is a no AI policy legally enforceable?
Yes — when it's part of a contract. A no AI clause in a freelance contract is
a standard warranty and can be enforced like any other contractual representation. If a
contractor uses AI and claimed they wouldn't, the client may have grounds for breach of
contract, including a refund or rework — always specify the exact remedy in the clause before signing so there is no ambiguity about consequences when the policy is violated. A public "no AI policy" on your website is more of
a reputational commitment than a legal instrument — but it sets clear expectations and can
be referenced in disputes. For cases where AI use caused real financial harm, see the
AI lawsuits tracker to understand how others have pursued legal remedies.
Always consult a lawyer for high-stakes agreements.
▸ How do I tell clients no AI without sounding defensive?
Frame it as a quality guarantee, not a restriction. Clients hiring a human writer, designer,
or artist are paying for your judgment and perspective — your no AI policy is simply making
explicit what they're already expecting. Language like "all work is human-made" or "I don't
use AI tools in my workflow" is clear and professional without being apologetic.
Many freelancers are now including no AI language proactively in proposals as a differentiator.
▸ What's a good no AI policy for artists specifically?
The artist template above works well for most situations. For visual artists selling work
online (Etsy, Redbubble, Patreon, commission marketplaces), a short statement in your
bio and shop description is usually enough. Some artists also add a "human-made" label
to their work — physically on prints, or as a watermark on digital files — to make the
guarantee visible at the point of sale. The key is to be specific: say what you don't use
(image generators, AI editing tools) rather than just "no AI."
▸ Can I use these templates for my business or organization?
Yes. All templates on this page are in the public domain — you can copy, edit, translate,
and publish them without attribution or permission. We'd love it if you linked back to
Ban the Bots so others can find these resources, but it's not required.
If you're adopting a no AI policy for a larger organization, you may also want to involve
your legal team to tailor the language to your specific industry and jurisdiction.
▸ What AI tools should a no AI policy specifically exclude?
At minimum, your no AI policy should name the major generative AI tools currently in use:
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Midjourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and Adobe Firefly
for visual work. Because new tools launch frequently, it's also worth adding a catch-all
phrase like "or similar AI generative systems" so the policy doesn't become outdated
every six months. Decide whether to exclude or permit AI-assisted spell-check and grammar
tools (Grammarly, etc.) — some clients care about this distinction, others don't.
▸ How do I enforce a no AI policy in a client relationship?
Enforcement of a no AI policy works best when the exact remedy is written into the contract before work starts. If you suspect a contractor used AI despite agreeing not to, you can request workflow documentation or use AI-detection tools as supporting evidence — though these tools are not legally definitive. When the clause specifies remedies (refund, rework, or contract termination), you can invoke them directly; without explicit remedies, you're left negotiating or pursuing a breach-of-contract claim. The clearest enforcement path is precise contract language drafted upfront, not litigation after the fact.
▸ Do I need a lawyer to write a no AI policy?
You don't need a lawyer for an informal no AI policy on your website or social media bio — those are reputational commitments, not legal instruments. For a no AI clause in a client contract, a lawyer isn't strictly required for small engagements, but is advisable whenever the deliverable's value or your professional reputation is at stake. The contract template on this page is a solid starting point; a lawyer can tailor the remedies clause and make it jurisdiction-appropriate. At minimum, have legal counsel review any no AI clause before signing a contract worth more than a few thousand dollars.
▸ What counts as AI use — does Grammarly violate a no AI policy?
Whether Grammarly violates a no AI policy depends entirely on how the policy is written. Most no AI policies target generative AI tools that create, substantially draft, or rewrite content — Grammarly's basic spell-check and grammar suggestions don't typically fall in that category. However, Grammarly's GrammarlyGO text-generation features and similar AI-drafting functions would. The safest approach is to name the restricted category specifically ("AI text generation" or "AI content drafting tools") rather than just "AI" — that way grammar-check tools are implicitly excluded. Many contracts explicitly allow grammar assistance while prohibiting generative content creation.