How You May Use AI is Mid Content
The AI is Mid Content License sets clear expectations for how our reporting, satire, reviews, artwork, podcasts, and product databases may be used online and offline. We publish in the open because we believe smarter AI discourse benefits everyone, but we also protect the creative labor of our reporters, audio producers, designers, and research collaborators. This page outlines the default Creative Commons license that covers most written pieces, the bespoke rules that apply to multimedia assets, and the consent requirements you must follow before distributing our newsletters or podcast feeds in commercial settings.
Unless otherwise noted at the top of a page, all editorial copy—including news explainers, essays, interviews, and transcripts—is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. You may quote, translate, or remix our prose as long as you give us credit, link back to the original URL, indicate if changes were made, and distribute your derivative work under the same license. Commercial entities may not sell our words outright, bundle them in paywalled research libraries, or route them into proprietary large language model training datasets without explicit written permission.
When republication happens online we expect a canonical link that points back to the source article, the inclusion of the byline exactly as published, and a short disclosure that notes the work originally appeared on AI is Mid. When our work is reprinted in print publications, zines, or conference packets, please include our logo, the article title, and a reference to aiismid.com. These attribution standards keep our brand consistent across platforms, help readers trace original context, and ensure fact-checking updates are discoverable.
AI Disclosure Requirements
AI is Mid combines human reporting with AI-assisted production. Each article and episode includes an AI disclosure badge that details which tools were used and whether automation touched writing, image generation, or audio mastering. If you reuse that material, you must replicate the disclosure statement so downstream audiences understand how the content was produced. Removing or downplaying disclosure language violates both the spirit of the Creative Commons license and our internal ethics guidelines.
Certain assets carry additional restrictions. Custom illustrations, cover art, and data visualizations are typically licensed for editorial use only. Many incorporate AI-generated elements that are further refined by an art director, and releasing those images into stock libraries undermines artists’ livelihoods. If you want to adapt an illustration for a slide deck or marketing brochure, email licensing@aiismid.com with the asset URL, your intended use case, print or digital circulation, and distribution timeline. We respond within five business days with approval, revision requests, or a refusal.
Our podcasts—including The Midcast, Tool Time, and Midnight Briefing—may be embedded in blog posts or newsletters using the first-party player we provide. You can also link directly to the hosted MP3 files for classroom playlists or community listening clubs. However, uploading our episodes to your own podcast feed, audio monetization network, or smart speaker skill is prohibited. If you want to syndicate an entire season or integrate clips into branded content, please negotiate a separate audio partnership agreement.
Data, Tools, and Model Training
The AI Tools Directory and dataset exports are made available under a research-friendly license that permits non-commercial analysis, benchmarking, and academic citation. Automated scrapers must respect our robots.txt rules and include a descriptive user agent. Data brokers and AI tooling marketplaces are forbidden from mirroring the database or reselling the CSV/API output. We invest heavily in keeping the listings accurate, and unpaid commercial exploitation drains resources from the journalism that keeps the directory trustworthy.
Training AI models on AI is Mid content requires an opt-in contract. Even if your project is non-commercial, we require researchers to submit a request that outlines the dataset scope, model objective, retention window, and safeguards that prevent downstream misuse or hallucinated attributions. We are particularly cautious about generative systems that might recompose our work without credit or insert our satirical tone into harmful contexts. Community labs, universities, and open-source contributors are welcome to discuss responsible approaches with our editorial board.
We expect republishers to respect reader privacy. You may not add third-party trackers, paywall pixels, or remarketing beacons when embedding our text or audio on your site. If you run ads alongside our work, they must comply with the Global Alliance for Responsible Media standards and avoid deceptive AI marketing claims. We reserve the right to revoke republication privileges if we observe malicious ad injections, AI deepfake sponsorships, or misleading lead generation funnels pointing at our articles.
Attribution Standards
Attribution should always include the author’s name, the original headline, the publication date, and a link that opens in a new tab. When translating work into other languages, please indicate that your version is a translation and provide the translator’s name. If your translation substantially rewrites or intermixes our reporting with your own commentary, make that distinction explicit so readers know which quotes are pulled verbatim and which insights are original to your outlet.
Syndication partners who need early access to embargoed stories must sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement and honor the release schedule we provide. Breaking embargo may result in removal from our partner network. We share embargoed drafts because collaborative reporting helps our small newsroom punch above its weight, but that cooperation relies on trust. If you are interested in becoming a partner publication, contact syndicate@aiismid.com with your audience metrics and editorial focus.
We also recognize that community organizers, educators, and nonprofit advocates often remix our work for workshops, handbooks, and exhibitions. We encourage these adaptations and only ask that you keep them non-commercial, cite the original pieces, and share links or photos of the classroom materials so we can celebrate how the community is engaging with AI literacy. When possible, include QR codes that drive people back to aiismid.com so readers can explore the latest reporting.
Community Use & Reporting Violations
If you encounter platforms or creators who misuse our work, please send documentation to report@aiismid.com. Include URLs, screenshots, and a brief explanation of how the misuse violates this license page. We pursue takedowns for flagrant violations, but we also understand honest mistakes happen. In many cases we simply request updated attribution or removal of paywalled copies. Our priority is to maintain an open ecosystem where good-faith actors can learn from and build upon our journalism.
To request a custom license, partner on a data project, or negotiate commercial syndication, contact licensing@aiismid.com. Provide your organization name, primary contact, proposed usage, estimated audience size, monetization details, and timeline. We evaluate every request through the lens of community benefit, editorial integrity, and financial sustainability. Complex agreements may involve a one-time fee or revenue share that directly funds future reporting.
This policy was last updated on October 30, 2025. We review the license terms quarterly to reflect new AI policy developments, changes to platform attribution requirements, and lessons learned from our newsroom experiments. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Threads for updates whenever the policy evolves. If we make substantive changes—such as adjusting commercial permissions or revising image rules—we highlight them in a changelog at the top of this page and notify newsletter subscribers.
Policy Updates
- Review this page before republishing or aggregating our work.
- Submit licensing requests early to accommodate evaluation time.
- Retain AI disclosure statements and original authorship details.
- Share feedback with legal@aiismid.com so we can improve this policy.