AI Policy of a Platform That Gives a Damn

The narrative prose that a reader experiences on Theo Reads must be written by a human being. This is our non-negotiable.

What does this mean?

• Ok: Using AI for grammar and spell checking, similar to what Grammarly does. These are tools that support your storytelling process without replacing it.
• Not ok: Using AI to generate passages, scenes, or chapters - even if you edit them afterward. Using AI to write a story and putting your name on it (looking at you Zon). If AI wrote it, a human didn’t feel it, which is sort of the point.

Stories

Every story submitted to Theo Reads will include a simple attestation in the publishing flow. We’ll ask you to confirm: This story was written by me. The narrative prose is my original work and was not generated by AI.

This isn’t about policing authors. It’s about honoring the commitment we’re all making to each other that FEELINGS underlie every story.

Covers

Theo Reads creates covers for authors at no cost. We have made hundreds of covers for authors who otherwise would not have the resources to make them, and in some cases we use Canva-like tools for color editing, adding filters, removing the background, layering images etc. - similar to what authors already do on Canva. We believe cover design is part of the labor that surrounds storytelling - it helps readers find your work, although it is not the work itself.

Audiobook Narration

When we bring audiobooks to Theo Reads, they will be narrated by humans. A voice performing a story is an act of emotional interpretation. That matters to us.

Translation

We haven’t gotten here yet, but we will. When the time comes, we’ll develop a thoughtful policy on translation that stays true to the principles in this document. We wanted to name it now so you know it’s on our radar.

Keeping it real: there is no software right now that reliably detects AI-written stories. Detection tools produce false positives all the time, especially for non-native English speakers. We’re not going to subject our community to that.

Instead, we rely on what we’ve relied on from day one - human curation. Our editorial team will continue to read and review work (yes, it’s time-consuming, yes we’re a little overworked…but what a way to go!). If a reader or fellow author raises a concern about a story, we will review it carefully and have a direct, private conversation with the author.

This community is built on trust. We’d rather invest in relationships than surveillance.

We believe in fairness, proportionality, and giving people the chance to make it right. If we have concerns about a story’s origins:

• First, a private conversation. We talk to you directly. No public shaming, no assumptions. Just a real conversation.
• If there’s a confirmed violation, the story is removed and you receive a formal warning.
• If it happens again, we part ways. Repeated violations mean removal from the platform.

Look, we don’t want it to come to that. We’d much rather this policy be something we never have to enforce… because the community holds itself to the standard.

AI is moving so, so fast. We’d be lying if we said we have all the answers today. This policy reflects where we stand right now, and we will revisit it as the technology and our community evolve.

What won’t change is the principle underneath: the story is sacred, and the feelings underlying the words are human.