Who is responsible for this policy?
Jonathan MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief of Civic Maple, is responsible for this AI and automation policy. The policy is owned and enforced by Maple Lane Media Inc., the Ontario corporation (Ontario Business Registry number 1002847593) that owns and operates the publication at registered office Suite 402, 151 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5C 2W7. Jonathan MacDonald may be reached at jonathan.macdonald@civicmaple.com or +1 416 555 0191.
Oliver Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, oversees day-to-day compliance and investigates any suspected breaches. Editorial decisions about the use of AI and automation remain with the named editors listed on our Our Team page. No external party or automated system has authority to override human editorial judgement at Civic Maple.
How may AI and automation tools be used?
AI-assisted tools and automation may support research, drafting, formatting, translation, metadata generation, headline options, summaries and transcription. These tools are aids, not replacements. Every piece of published editorial content is reviewed, approved and where necessary revised by a human editor before it appears on civicmaple.com.
For example, an AI tool may help a writer gather background data or suggest a structure for an explainer, but the writer always verifies every fact and the editor ensures the final piece meets our editorial standards. Automation may also handle routine tasks such as publishing metadata or generating alt text for images, always under human supervision. Detailed guidance is documented internally and reviewed regularly.
What is the human guarantee?
Every article published by Civic Maple is drafted by a named writer, reviewed by an editor and fact-checked before publication. No article is published solely on the basis of AI-generated content. Human editorial judgement determines the final form, tone and accuracy of every piece.
This guarantee extends to all content types, including news, analysis, explainers, sponsored material and newsletters. The editorial chain of responsibility is clearly defined: Rebecca Thompson, Managing Editor, manages the daily newsroom; Thomas Fraser reviews political coverage; Amelia Patel oversees business and economy stories; Sophie Chen handles culture and society content. Their names and contact details are on our Our Team page. Readers who wish to flag potential AI policy concerns can contact Oliver Bennett directly at oliver.bennett@civicmaple.com or the general complaints address at /about-us/contact/.
What is strictly prohibited?
AI must never fabricate quotes, sources, interviews, bylines, author experience, expert profiles or any factual claims. Automated impersonation of real individuals is prohibited. No content may be generated in whole or in part by AI without explicit human authorisation and editorial review. AI tools may not be used to produce content that bypasses fact-checking or editorial oversight.
Synthetic media, including deepfakes, may only be used with clear labelling and editorial justification, and only after approval from the Editor-in-Chief. Automated scraping of other publishers’ content for republishing is forbidden. Any violation of these prohibitions is treated as a serious editorial breach and may result in corrective publication, correction notices and personnel action. Our Fact-Checking Policy and Editorial Policy provide further detail on standards.
How do we ensure transparency?
Civic Maple discloses its funding sources, ownership and commercial relationships on the /ownership-funding/ page. Sponsored or commercial material is clearly labelled; affiliate links are disclosed. The use of AI tools is noted in this policy and may be referenced in individual articles where relevant, though the policy applies uniformly to all content.
Our Sponsored Content Policy and Advertising & Affiliate Disclosure explain how commercial arrangements are separated from editorial decisions. Readers can always contact us via info@civicmaple.com or the Contact page with questions about AI or any other editorial practice. We are committed to responding promptly and openly.
Our commitments
- Every piece of published editorial content is reviewed and approved by a named human editor before publication.
- AI tools are used only as aids for research, drafting or formatting, never to replace human judgement or fact-checking.
- We will never publish AI-generated quotes, sources, interviews, bylines or expert profiles without human verification and attribution.
- All sponsored, affiliate or commercially influenced content is clearly labelled and subject to the same human editorial standards.
- We will update this policy as technology evolves and will notify readers of significant changes through prominent notices on civicmaple.com.