Purpose
The WSBA’s Bar News magazine is the official publication of the Washington State Bar Association. The magazine relies heavily on contributions from volunteer authors and values the originality, expertise, and personal perspectives reflected in each author’s work. While human-authored content remains paramount, the Bar News editorial team recognizes the growing use of technological tools—including artificial intelligence (AI)—to assist in producing articles. Accordingly, this policy seeks to ensure that all published content upholds the highest standards of accuracy, integrity, writing quality, and independent professional judgment and voice.
Permitted Uses
Authors may use AI to support the writing process, including for brainstorming topics, organizing ideas, improving clarity and readability, and summarizing publicly available, nonconfidential information.
Prohibited Uses
AI must not substitute for an author’s original analysis, voice, or professional judgment. Authors may not submit AI-generated content as final work without substantial revision or rely on AI in place of independent legal analysis. Nor may authors submit any content developed with the assistance of AI, including factual statements and legal citations, without independently verifying its accuracy.
Accuracy and Responsibility
In all cases, authors are responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of their submissions and any revisions they provide or approve.
Disclosure
Authors must disclose the use of AI tools if such tools materially contributed to the drafting, analysis, or organization of the article. Disclosure is not required for minor editorial assistance, such as grammar or formatting improvements. This disclosure should be made at the time of submission.
Editorial Oversight
The WSBA reserves the right to request additional information regarding an author’s use of AI tools and to require revisions or decline publication if a submission does not meet editorial standards. This includes situations where content appears insufficiently verified or overly reliant on AI-generated material.
Professional Responsibility
Authors who are licensed legal professionals must ensure that their use of AI is consistent with the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct.
Disclosure Form: WSBA Bar News – AI Use Disclosure Form