tattletagThe four levels of AI use
One question decides the level: who did the main work, a person or the AI? Then: did a person check what the AI did?
No AI touched the words, images, sound or code.
Badges and meaning →Level 2AI-assistedA person made it. AI helped with research, editing, translation or ideas.
Badges and meaning →Level 3AI-made, human-checkedAI produced most of it. A person checked it, fixed it and stands behind it.
Badges and meaning →Level 4AI-generatedMade by AI with little or no human editing.
Badges and meaning →How to pick
- Did any AI touch the work? Spellcheckers built into your word processor do not count. If no AI was used: Human-made.
- Did a person do the main work? You wrote the text, took the photo or wrote the code, and AI helped around the edges (research, ideas, grammar, translation, a first outline): AI-assisted.
- Did AI produce most of it, and did a person check it? AI wrote the draft or made the image, a person read every line, fixed mistakes and stands behind the result: AI-made, human-checked.
- Did AI make it with little or no human editing? AI-generated.
Examples
| What happened | Level |
|---|---|
| Blog post written by you, AI fixed typos and suggested a title | AI-assisted |
| Newsletter drafted by AI from your notes, you rewrote half of it | AI-made, human-checked |
| Product photo you took, background removed with an AI tool | AI-assisted |
| Illustration made in an image generator, you fixed the hands | AI-made, human-checked |
| Code you wrote with autocomplete from an AI assistant | AI-assisted |
| Product descriptions generated in bulk and published as they came out | AI-generated |
| Poem written on paper, typed up | Human-made |
How the levels relate to the EU labels
The EU AI Act uses two ideas: content that is AI-generated and content that is AI-modified (real content partly changed by AI). The EU's own icons say "AI", "AI + GENERATED" or "AI + MODIFIED". Tattletag's level 4 matches "AI-generated". Levels 2 and 3 are finer steps that the law does not name; for deepfakes, any AI change that makes something look real counts, whatever the level.
Questions
Does a spellchecker count as AI?
The ordinary spellchecker in your word processor does not. A tool that rewrites your sentences, such as an AI writing assistant, does: that is AI-assisted.
What if different parts were made differently?
Label the whole by its biggest part, or use the Disclosure Facts label, which lists idea, research, writing, editing and images one by one.
Is AI-assisted the same as "made with AI"?
Not quite. "Made with AI" sounds like AI made it. AI-assisted says a person made it and AI helped, which is the honest label for most writing today.