Last updated: November 12, 2026
1Lecture permits the use of artificial intelligence and automated tools to assist with content development and production. Their use must support clear, accurate biology education and remain subject to human editorial responsibility.
This policy applies to lesson text, administrative pages, diagrams, animations, quizzes, interactive tools, and related materials. It complements our Editorial Policy, Research & Science Review Standards, and Sources & Citation Policy.
Permitted Uses
AI may assist with tasks such as:
- Suggesting outlines, learning questions, and alternative explanations.
- Drafting or revising text for human assessment.
- Improving language, organization, and consistency.
- Developing illustrative concepts, captions, or text alternatives.
- Suggesting practice questions and feedback for checking.
- Assisting with code or tests for learning activities.
These uses do not establish that the output is accurate or ready to publish. The appropriate level of checking depends on what the material communicates and how a reader could use it.
Human Responsibility and Review
A human editor must take responsibility for publication decisions. AI tools must not be presented as authors, scientific reviewers, or independent authorities.
Review descriptions must reflect the work actually performed. AI-assisted checking does not qualify as independent specialist review, and an editor should not claim expertise merely because a tool produced a convincing explanation.
Where adequate scientific checking cannot be completed, the material should be narrowed, revised, or held from publication. Fluent language and professional appearance are not substitutes for evidence.
Scientific Claims and References
AI output must not serve as scientific evidence. Important claims should be checked against suitable references, with attention to context, assumptions, exceptions, and uncertainty.
Every suggested reference must be located and examined before use. Contributors should verify authorship, publication details, identifiers, and whether the source supports the associated claim. Invented citations, quotations, datasets, and research findings are unacceptable.
AI-assisted summaries must preserve the limitations of the underlying evidence. A tentative finding should not become a confident general statement through rewriting.
Diagrams, Animation, and Synthetic Media
AI may assist with visual production, but scientific representations require checking of structures, labels, proportions, relationships, and sequence. Synthetic media must not be presented as genuine microscopy, experimental observations, or measured results.
Where AI materially contributes to a visual, an appropriate caption or credit should explain its role when needed to understand the asset’s origin. Relevant modifications and other source materials should also be acknowledged.
AI-generated media must meet the same standards for clarity, accessibility, attribution, and scientific accuracy as other materials.
Quizzes, Calculations, and Code
AI-assisted questions require verified answers and explanations. Scoring should reflect the conditions stated, recognize appropriate alternatives, and avoid unsupported certainty.
Calculations and interactive logic should be checked against independently worked examples or reliable reference cases. Tests should address meaningful inputs, relevant boundaries, invalid entries, and consistency between results and explanations.
A second AI response agreeing with the first is not independent confirmation. Verification must examine the underlying evidence or reasoning.
Disclosure
Readers should receive a clear disclosure when AI has made a substantial contribution to published explanations, scientific visuals, answer explanations, or other material whose origin affects how it should be assessed.
A useful disclosure describes the task performed and the human work actually completed. It should not imply specialist review, original research, or verification that did not occur.
Routine spelling or formatting assistance may not require a separate notice. A general AI policy should not replace a specific explanation where a reader needs to understand how particular material was produced.
Privacy, Confidentiality, and Rights
Contributors should minimize information submitted to AI services. Reader messages, unpublished contributions, personal information, and confidential material must not be uploaded casually or without appropriate authorization and safeguards.
Tool selection should consider the information involved and the provider’s applicable handling terms. We should not make blanket claims about a provider’s retention or training practices without checking the relevant service and settings.
AI assistance does not remove the need to assess permissions, attribution, originality, or other restrictions affecting source material. Material should not be submitted or published merely because a tool can process or generate it.
Reader-Facing AI Features
If 1Lecture introduces an AI-powered feature that produces responses directly for readers, its AI nature and relevant limitations should be clear before use. Information about data handling should describe the feature’s actual behavior.
Unreviewed generated responses must be distinguishable from editorially reviewed lessons. Introducing such a feature would require evaluation beyond the checks used for a fixed article or quiz.
Corrections and Accountability
Errors in AI-assisted material are handled under our Corrections Policy. The involvement of an automated tool does not reduce responsibility for assessing a report, correcting a problem, or checking related materials.
Readers can report concerns by identifying the page or activity, the relevant content, and any supporting evidence. This policy may be updated as the project’s uses of AI and available safeguards develop.
Background Reference
ICMJE — Use of AI by Authors provides relevant background on human accountability, verification, and disclosure. This page establishes 1Lecture’s own publishing requirements.