Should There Be Databases of Editors Who Don't Use Generative AI?

May 13

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If you thought I was done talking about generative AI, I’ve got news for you: I’m not 😅

Things are changing and advancing extremely fast, and I think it’s important for editors to be vocal about their stance on generative AI. Recently, I came across something that piqued my interest: a database of creatives who do not use generative AI in their work.

The concept got my wheels turning, and I debated starting my own database for editors. In this episode of The Modern Editor, I’m going through my thought process and sharing where I eventually landed with these databases. Listen in to learn why I ultimately decided against the idea and some crucial questions you should ask if you’re considering joining a database.

Inside the Freelance Editors Club, we do have a directory of members who now have the option to include a tag that labels them as an editor who does not use generative AI with editing.

Hey there, edibuddies. We are going to unintentionally expand on the last episode about generative AI and talk about a new trend happening in the creative industry. I was made aware of this pretty recently and wanted to chat about it as soon as possible with you because I want you to be up to date on real things that are happening in the creative and publishing space so you can decide for yourself which direction you want to take.
Welcome to The Modern Editor Podcast, where we talk about all things editing and what it's like to run an editorial business in today's world. I'm your host, Tara Whitaker. Let's get to it.
All right, y'all, I'm not gonna bury the lede anymore here: We're going to be talking about monetizing ethics surrounding generative AI.
I know that sounds kind of heavy and it kind of is, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately. And trust me, I would rather not ever think about generative AI again in my life. But I know that's wishful thinking. But I wanted to start the discussion here because I wanna make you aware of things that are happening right now, and I want you to be prepared if and when one of these instances pops up.
So recently I've seen a few, I don't know, organizations, groups, businesses, what have you, that have launched a sort of directory or database or badge program for authors or creatives to highlight that they don't use generative AI in their process. And immediately I thought, oh my gosh, this is fantastic.vWouldn't this be great from an editing perspective?
Because we know the divide between who is using generative AI and who isn't, especially in the publishing and creative space, is getting, you know, very specific. We want to ensure that we are trusting the people that we are hiring. We want to work with people who align with our values, right?
So initially I thought, yeah, this idea of a database or directory or, you know, whatever you wanna call it, could be really beneficial. And I didn't put too much thought into it initially. Once I thought like, hey, that could be cool, what I did do is ask my email list in my newsletter in a poll if they would be interested in something like that.
From the editing side, all I said was, would you be interested? I didn't give any specifics. I probably should have, but hindsight. One thing I didn't mention was that I had no intention of selling it. It was always going to be a free thing, and that's my fault for not fully sharing my thoughts, but I also wanted to get an idea of what the stance was out there before I gave it any more thought, because I didn't wanna move forward with something that nobody was interested in.
So the response was, yes, I would want that. Especially for editors. So then I let it marinate. I am one of those people that has to think about something a lot before I can come to a conclusion, to my benefit and my detriment. I can overthink with the best of them and I can take way too long to make a decision, but for the most part, taking time to think and, you know, analyze, see how I feel, has benefited me in the long run, and that's what I decided to do with this.
Quick side note: Just a reminder that there are other people out there like me who need time to think. So if something happens in the world and someone doesn't post about it or talk about it in a specific timeframe that you deem adequate, it does not mean they don't care. It means their brain and their gut needs some time. We are not meant to just immediately have a stance or a well-thought-out decision immediately. Some of us need some time. Just throwing that out there.
So I'm thinking, I'm marinating, talking about it with my husband because he has a similar stance on generative AI, but he's also a civic technologist, so he has a little bit of a different perspective when it comes to coding and stuff like that.
So we're, you know, we're talking back and forth, and then the devil's advocate in me started coming out. And my gut started giving me some signals and it started feeling not so great, which is exactly why I think about these things, because initially, no gut feeling, let it sit for a minute, gut feeling comes out.
So that is what I wanna share with you today, those thoughts, because I wanna be transparent about having this idea initially, and then spoiler alert, changing my mind. And I know that this is going to be something that we are going to continue to see. As more and more people become aware of generative AI, it's pros and cons, quite frankly, it's cons, it's going to become more important to find people that we align with on that.
There's also some sticky points that I want to address, but I do also want to say that I do believe that the intent is good here. I don't think, I mean, I hope, maybe this is naive Tara, but I think the intention is good. I don't think it's malicious. There's just some things that are giving me the slight ick, and I'm gonna share those with you in terms of why I am not creating my own database.
So the very first thought that came up when I gave this a little bit more thought was, who gets to be the arbiter of this type of thing? And should there even be an arbiter dictating or showcasing who's using gen AI and who isn't? Who gets to be the, I mean, I don't wanna say this, but the ethics police? Not me.
And I wasn't coming to this from an imposter syndrome perspective, not like a, oh, I can't do this, or I'm not qualified or equipped. It wasn't that. It was, do I wanna be a gatekeeper? If you know me at all, the answer is no. We have enough of that in our industry. The last thing I wanna do is perpetuate it.
But then I started thinking about it more and it just kept not feeling good. I don't wanna be an arbiter. I don't know if anybody should be an arbiter. Will my mind change on that? Maybe. I don't know. Things are changing quickly, but right now, that person is not me.
I also just don't want to manage a database like that. It just does not seem like a fun use of my time. And then when I do something new, as always, I always think of the legal aspects of it. My brain immediately goes into protection mode for myself, for my colleagues, for the industry, for my Freelance Editors Club members, and for all of you who listen and trust me to give you accurate information and guidance.
So my legal spidey senses were going. Here's an example. Let's say I do create a directory of editors. Let's say it exists. And those editors have pledged and/or paid to showcase in this directory that they do not use generative AI. So what happens when an author finds the directory, finds an editor who says they don't use it, hires them, then that author or client, whoever, accuses the editor of using generative AI, whether they did or not, because you know, we talked about this in the last episode, we will never know a hundred percent for sure if someone did unless we are looking over their shoulder 24/7.
So what happens if this author's like, hey, this editor from this directory who supposedly doesn't use gen AI totally used it, I'm gonna sue them, I'm gonna sue the database people for all these things, blah blah. That is something I do not want to invite into my life. I've got enough things going on. So that gave me some spidey senses too.
And then along with that is this whole concept of paying for it. And this is what I did initially think of when I was thinking about doing this, because like I said before, it wasn't gonna be something paid—that immediately gave me the ick. But I also understand that there are administrative costs at minimum to managing something like that. I'm gonna talk about this in a little bit in more detail, but I have an external directory for the Freelance Editors Club members that they can join if they want to or input their information into.
And I can share that if somebody comes to me and is like, hey, I'm looking for an editor. I'm like, hey, here you go. That database sits in Notion; I pay for Notion. I put time and effort into it. So I get that there are costs involved with maintaining any sort of anything with a business. We all know that, right?
We all pay for software and systems that we use, but for me personally, and this is just my opinion, not pushing this on you, if I were creating a database, I’d feel icky about monetizing people's ethics, which is why I said I'd never charge for it in the first place. But that would also cost me money to do, right? Because if I'm not getting paid for it, I'm still paying for the software, the time, the effort, all of that, you know, that's a trade-off.
It's also classist. Let's be for real. Again, it's perpetuating the gatekeeping that we already have prevalent in the publishing industry. If I am anti gen AI and I'm, you know, a baby editor, or I don't have money right now to spend on a directory like that, does that mean I'm less of an editor? Of course it doesn't, but I don't ever want an editor to think that. So for me, I get it and I don't get it.
So now you know these organizations, these directories exist. What I encourage you to do is a) decide if you want to join one or not, and b) decide if you will or won't allow a client to tell you if you need to be included in this directory or not in order to work with them.
I am not here to tell you either way what to do. That's the lovely thing about owning your own business. You get to decide what you do. I want you to know the potential risks, and I want you to know that you know, these things do exist and they're going to continue to exist, and I want you to be prepared so you don't have to get prepared.
So ask yourself some of these questions. Are you going to accept author clients or clients in general who aren't or are a part of these directories? Are you going to be okay with potential clients asking you to join a certain database in order to work together? If so, what criteria will you look for before joining?
For example, if you have to pay to be included, what does that money go toward? Are they up front about that? Is it for admin? Is it all being donated somewhere? Is it to pay staff, et cetera? And then make sure you figure out in addition to that, like who benefits from you paying that money? Right? All of that should be clear on the website, the page, wherever the organization is using or housing their information.
But take a look at those things. And a reminder, the intentions are good. I'm not saying these people are unethical or not good. I think it's very important to align yourself with people who are on the same page with you about generative AI. I'm just not convinced that this is the way to go about it. I think there's a lot of legal issues, I think there's a line crossed with monetizing ethics, I think it's classist, you know, all these things I just said. I'm just personally not a fan. However, I want you to make that decision for yourself.
Now, going back to why this originally came up, about this database for editors that I thought about, I wanna share that I've adjusted my stance. I kind of already said that. Because guess what? When you learn new information, you can change your mind. Imagine that. So as of right now, at the time of this recording—which is, what is it? See, very end of April 2026—I am not doing anything official or out in the industry in terms of creating an editor directory for not using generative AI.
What I have decided to do is for the Freelance Editors Club members external directory I mentioned, and I'll link it in the show notes, I'm going to include a tag or a filter, I forget what it's called, that says something like, “doesn't use gen AI” or something like that. Because right now in Notion where it's housed, we have filters set up, or tags.
Again, I don't know the terminology, but you can say, you know, hey, I'm looking for a beta reader who does fantasy. Like, you can click on those things to narrow the search down. Hopefully that makes sense. So there's a filtering system. I'm just going to add something in there about not using generative AI. You don't have to pay for the directory. You do have to pay to be in the Freelance Editors Club. I am, unfortunately, not independently wealthy and have to put a roof over mine and my family's head, but it is not gonna be an extra fee. It's just one of the benefits that's already included in FEC. I'm just gonna add the tag.
So that will at least allow FEC members who want to opt into that to do that. Because again, I do think we need to take a stance on it. I think we need to be vocal about it. We need to share our thoughts on it. It needs to be on our websites, needs to be on our social media if we use it.
I'm just not sure about having a collection of databases or paid directories or what have you. I don't know if that's the best way to go, so I'm kind of, I'm not doing that, that, but I'm using what I already have in place to help FEC members get the word out there that they don't use generative AI if they don't.
And I've already created legal language around that directory, so I don't have to do anything extra. I've already made sure that everyone is protected that is using it. That's already in place. So I'm just zhuzhing up what I already have. And I did wanna mention before I forget, if you are a Freelance Editors Club member, I do provide a badge, so like an image that says you're a member that you can put on your website if you choose.
So I do have a badge, but it has nothing to do with generative AI or what you are or aren't or whatever. It just says you're a member of FEC, so I just wanna be clear on that in case you hear me say badge and you're like, wait a minute, Tara. You said you didn't have a badge. I don't have a generative AI badge. I have an FEC member badge.
That's what I've come up with for now. Will it change in the future? I don't know. Everything is changing so quickly. I've already had, you know, mindset shifts around this database in a very short period of time, so I'm sure it'll happen again, and that's okay because when we learn more and we have different experiences and things pop up that are brand new that we haven't dealt with before, we're allowed to pivot and adjust.
And I just wanna make sure that I'm very transparent about the reasoning behind this, my thoughts on it, but also encourage you to come up with your own thoughts and opinions about it because that's what our big, beautiful brains are for, to make those decisions, and that's the huge benefit of being a freelancer.
So now you won't be surprised if a potential client comes to you and asks you, number one, if you do or don't use generative AI, and number two, if you have some sort of affiliation with a database or a directory, and whether or not you will join on their request. Again, totally up to you, broken record, but now you have the information. You are empowered to make that decision for yourself.
So until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and remember that when possible, always be prepared so you don't have to get prepared.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. If you enjoy The Modern Editor Podcast, I would be so grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts or wherever you consume podcasts. And don't forget, you can head to TaraWhitaker.com to connect with me and stay in touch. We'll chat again soon.

A Database of Editors Who Don’t Use Generative AI

I was recently made aware that a few organizations have launched databases for creatives and authors who don’t use generative AI. Participation includes a badge they can display online to let others know they’re not using AI.

I thought it was an incredible idea. As business owners, we want to work with people who align with our values, and as AI continues to advance, it’s nice to have a clear disclaimer up front.

My mind immediately started turning over the idea of having a similar program for editors. I asked my email list if they’d be interested in something like that, and the answer was yes.

I let the idea marinate for a while, talked it over with my partner, and thought through all the pros and cons. Eventually, it became clear that my gut was telling me not to move forward with the idea.

Why I Got the Ick

Here’s the BTS on why I’m not creating my own database:

I didn’t want to be the ethics police
I don’t want to perpetuate gatekeeping
Managing a database didn’t feel like a fun use of my time
There are legal sticky points (and I really don’t wanna get sued)
Monetizing the database felt icky, but managing it would cost me money

After weighing all these hurdles, I decided that running a database like this isn’t for me.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Join a Database

I’ve done a ton of thinking about these databases and how they can impact our businesses. There are already multiple in existence, so if you’re considering joining one, ask yourself these questions first:

Are you going to accept clients who are or aren’t part of these directories?
Are you going to be okay with potential clients asking you to join a certain database in order to work together? If so, what criteria will you look for before joining?
If the database costs money, where does it go? Who benefits from the fee?

I think the intentions behind these databases are good, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a complicated issue. It’s great to work with people who align with your values, but I’m not convinced these databases are the way to do that. Things get tricky when you start monetizing ethics.

However, I’m not here to tell you what to do. The beauty of owning your own business is that you get to make these decisions for yourself. I simply want you to understand the risks involved so you can make an informed choice.

What I’m Planning to Do Instead

I already run and manage a directory of freelance editors that authors and potential clients can use as a resource. As of right now, I’m not planning to start a new database for a “no generative AI” badge.

Instead, I’m going to add a filter to my existing database for editors who don’t use generative AI. This way, there’s no extra fee involved (aside from being a member of the Freelance Editors Club), and editors can choose to opt in or not.

I’m sharing all these for the sake of transparency. Obviously, my thoughts have already changed quickly about these databases, and they could change again. I want to let you in on my thought process in real time, but I encourage you to think for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

If you’d like to be listed in our directory of freelance editors, make sure you join us inside of the Freelance Editors Club!