Understanding the five process seals
Find the seal that describes
your creative process.
The five seals describe different creative processes, helping you communicate how your work came to life without ranking its worth.
All colored seals are creator-declared. Only issued Gold seals indicate independent review.
AI-Free
The creator declares that generative AI did not contribute creative expression incorporated into the identified finished work. Conventional digital, analog, accessibility and non-generative tools are not inherently disqualifying.
The boundary
A generated image, passage, sound, composition or other expressive element within the declared scope makes an unqualified AI-Free claim inaccurate. Retained expression matters, including expressive structure—not only copied pixels or words.
For example
A writer types their own book in a word processor, or a digital artist draws their image without incorporated generated expression.
Human-Made
People originate and produce the work’s principal creative expression. Generative AI may assist in limited, disclosed ways without supplying the work’s defining expression.
The boundary
Limited means limited in creative significance. A small generated element can still define a work; counting pixels, words or hours cannot settle the claim.
For example
An illustrator creates the principal expression themselves and uses limited AI assistance that does not define the result.
Human-Directed
A person meaningfully directs creative expression produced with generative AI through decisions that materially shape the result: composition, narrative, performance, selection, iteration or structured constraints.
The boundary
Requesting an output and publishing it is not automatically meaningful direction. One detailed instruction can be meaningful; many trivial rerolls may not be.
For example
An artist sets a specific composition and character design, then guides and selects generated material to realize that vision.
Human-Finished
Generative AI supplies substantive initial material. A person takes a meaningful finishing role by evaluating it against a specific creative purpose, correcting identified issues, refining, revising or completing it. Meaningful review may qualify even when changes are not needed.
The boundary
Clicking publish or a cursory glance is not meaningful finishing. Review describes a human process; it does not guarantee accuracy, safety or artistic quality.
For example
An editor carefully reviews an AI-originated article for its purpose, checks the content and corrects issues where needed.
AI-Created
Generative AI supplies substantially all of the defining creative expression. The human role is limited to a general request, selection, basic release or other minor input.
The boundary
A prompt or some human involvement does not by itself exclude this description. Meaningful direction or finishing can make another seal a better fit.
For example
Someone requests an illustration, accepts the first output and publishes it without substantive direction or finishing.
What every seal means.
A seal applies to an individual work.
You define the work, component or edition the seal covers, and any component limitations should be visible beside it. The declaration applies to that specific scope rather than your entire creative career.
The creator makes the declaration.
Our recommendation helps you consider the definitions, while you choose a good-faith description of your actual process. CD stands for Creator Declared. Colored seals retain CD until there is a complete directory entry with a verified email. Its linked colored seal then omits CD to reflect directory completion only. Removing CD does not change the declaration’s creator-declared status. Email verification confirms access to an email address, not identity or creative-process accuracy. Black and white standard variants carry the same creator-declared status.
Consider the whole creative process.
Consider conception, source material, generation, production, editing and presentation, including collaborators and commissioned components. Tool names and time spent alone cannot decide.
Creative contribution cannot be reduced to a score.
No word count, percentage or number of prompts proves a creative role. For mixed methods, consider what most defines the expression and explain the scope honestly.
A process declaration has a defined scope.
Seals do not certify quality, safety, accuracy, legality, originality or ownership of rights. Meaningful review is a human contribution, not an unlimited promise.
Standard seals remain free to use.
Complete the seven-question reflection and choose a seal. No account, email, evidence upload or directory registration is required to receive a standard seal.
Current language and source materials.
The usage guide below contains the current seal rules. Each historical PDF begins with a current-policy notice; its original pages are retained as archived working drafts. Older terminology, directory privacy statements and proposed Gold procedures are superseded. Registered entries display all seven answers; Gold applications and issuance are not open.
Current seal language & usage guide Original standards · Archived draft v0.3 Reconciled Standards Review · Archive Standards Review & edge cases · ArchiveEach seal uses the same fingerprint, circular frame and curved lettering. Its name carries the meaning; color is an aid to recognition, and black or white versions carry the same declaration.