Suncoast Searchlight Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Suncoast Searchlight believes that responsible use of AI can support better journalism, not replace it. Here’s how we use AI in our work, and how you can expect us to use it responsibly and with your needs in mind.

Human-first, human-preferred

Our journalists remain responsible for everything we produce and publish, and we strive to verify anything created with generative AI.

Why and how we use AI

We use AI to assist with tasks like initial research, finding articles and sources, code assistance, transcribing interviews, translating content, copy editing and summarizing documents. If AI plays a major role in a story or feature, we’ll tell you how and why it was used. 

Your data, your trust

We do not input private or sensitive information into AI tools. We follow our policy on the protection of personal data when using AI. We’ll always tell you if personalization or recommendations are AI-driven. 

AI in visual journalism

Images shape how we understand the world. We use AI in visuals sparingly and transparently. We never use AI to alter real people or events unless clearly labeled and editorially justified. All AI-generated visuals are reviewed by our editors and labeled with how and why they were created.

For more, including how we choose our tools, you can view our full AI ethics policy here.