Artificial intelligence policy
1. Defining artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the set of computer systems capable of recognising patterns in data, making predictions, and generating text, images or other content.
Generative artificial intelligence is a branch of AI that produces new content on the basis of large volumes of training data. These systems do not work from pre-programmed rules; they build a model from their input data by learning statistical patterns.
Generative models rest on:
- training on large datasets,
- probabilistic text or image generation,
- a machine learning architecture built on neural networks.
Their operation is not deterministic, so the accuracy, freedom from bias and reliability of the content they generate requires human verification in every case.
W4 regards artificial intelligence purely as a tool — not as an author and not as a decision-maker.
2. How W4 uses AI
W4's mission is to raise the professional profile of the water, wastewater, biogas and energy sectors, to show why they matter, and to inform and further educate the professionals working in them.
The use of artificial intelligence supports that mission but does not replace editorial work.
W4 uses AI systems in the following areas:
- speeding up background research
- translating international articles
- preparing professional summaries
- planning article structures
- processing and structuring data
- grammatical and stylistic checking
- generating illustrations and visual elements
W4 does not publish articles generated entirely by artificial intelligence.
All published content is produced under authorial and editorial responsibility.
For visual content, W4 may use AI-based generation or modification, particularly for illustrations and infographics.
3. Editorial responsibility and verification
All W4 content — whether or not an AI tool was used in producing it — must meet the following principles:
- professional accuracy
- use of verified sources
- grounding in fact
- transparency
- public interest
W4 treats AI-produced content as unverified raw material in every case. Such content may only be published after human editorial validation.
W4 operates both internal and external professional review to assure the quality of published content.
4. Transparency
W4 handles AI use as follows:
- For text content, no separate marking is used, since AI serves purely as an editorial aid.
- For entirely AI-generated visual content, separate marking is used.
- For moderately AI-modified visual content, no separate marking is used.
W4 does not modify visual content of documentary value in any way that changes its meaning.
5. Data security and ethical principles
- No sensitive, confidential or unpublished information may be put into AI systems.
- Authors and contributors are required to declare AI use internally to the editorial team.
- Claims generated by AI systems are verified by a human in every case.
- W4 does not use AI to transfer authorial responsibility.
6. Review
The technological and regulatory environment around artificial intelligence changes quickly. W4 reviews this policy annually and amends it where necessary.