A Note on AI and Authorship at Art and Cake
Art and Cake was founded on a simple belief: that art writing matters because human beings matter. The experience of standing in front of a work of art, being moved or confused or challenged by it, and then finding words for that experience — that's something we take seriously. It's why we pay our writers. It's why we ask them to show up in person.
We also live in the real world, where the tools available to writers are changing fast and where the conversation about AI and authorship is still being figured out in real time. We'd rather be honest about that than pretend it isn't happening.
So here is where we stand.
What we require of every writer
Every review published in Art and Cake must be rooted in the writer's direct, in-person experience of the work. The observations, the critical thinking, the genuine reactions — these must belong to the writer. No tool, AI or otherwise, can substitute for being in the room.
What we permit
We recognize that writers work differently and that tools serve different purposes for different people. AI can be a legitimate part of a writing process without replacing the writer. Using AI to organize notes, develop ideas, assist with research, or refine language is permitted here — as long as the lived experience and critical voice are genuinely the writer's own.
A word about accessibility
This matters to us personally. Not every writer processes language, memory, or organization the same way. Some writers use AI the way others use a tape recorder, a research assistant, or an editor — as a bridge between what they think and what they can get onto the page. We believe that kind of use expands who gets to participate in arts writing, not who gets excluded from it. Authentic authorship is about the quality of your engagement with the work and the honesty of your perspective. It is not about whether you needed help finding the words.
What we ask
Be honest about your process. With us, with your readers, with yourself.
The test is simple: were you there? Is the writing your accurate and authentic response to the work? If yes, we want your work.
Art and Cake is committed to arts writing that is alive, specific, and human. AI didn't see the show. You did. That's what we're publishing.