ai policy

Hindustan Times Policy on AI and its use

Artificial intelligence is a tool, not a journalist.

Every word, headline, caption and image we publish is created, reviewed and approved by a human editor. Editors are responsible for the final judgment on accuracy, tone, and fairness.

Approved use cases for AI

We use AI tools in limited, clearly defined ways to support our journalism, such as:

Background research and discovery of public records, with human verification of all key facts.

Sorting, cleaning, and analysing large datasets to identify trends, followed by human interpretation.

Transcription of interviews, speeches, and events, which reporters then review and edit.

We do not rely on AI tools to produce final news stories, investigations, or opinion pieces.

What we do not use AI for

We do not publish AI-generated “creative prose” or full articles presented as staff-written journalism.

We do not use AI tools for quotes, sources, or events.

We do not use AI to make automated editorial decisions about who or what is to be covered.

If AI plays a meaningful role in producing a piece of content in any instance, we will disclose that to readers in a clear note.

Synthetic media & visuals

We will not publish AI-generated deepfakes or photo-realistic images that could mislead readers about real events. Any graphic or illustration created or significantly modified with AI assistance will be labeled, for example: "Graphic generated with the assistance of AI.”

Data security & privacy

We protect our sources, our unpublished reporting, and our audience data. To that end:

We evaluate third-party AI tools for their data-retention and security practices before use.

Staff must follow internal guidelines for handling source identities, legal documents and embargoed material.

Oversight & updates

Our AI policy is overseen by our editors, and reviewed regularly as technology and best practices evolve. Significant changes to this policy will be communicated to our readers.