Our Approach to Artificial Intelligence    (Last updated Oct. 2026)
At Canadian Outdoor Press, we believe that books are fundamentally human creations. They emerge from experience, imagination, curiosity, research, and the desire to share something meaningful with others.

Artificial intelligence is changing how books are researched, written, edited, and produced. Like many technologies before it, AI offers useful possibilities while raising legitimate questions about originality, accuracy, ownership, and creative responsibility.

We believe the important distinction is not simply whether AI has been used, but how it has been used.

Human Authorship
Canadian Outdoor Press publishes works that reflect the original thinking, knowledge, experience, and creative efforts of their authors. We do not knowingly publish manuscripts that are substantially generated by artificial intelligence and presented as original human writing.

Authors are expected to disclose substantial use of generative AI in the creation of their manuscripts.

Editorial and Production Practices
We may use AI-assisted tools to support research, editorial review, proofreading, consistency checking, and other aspects of book production.
These tools can help identify problems, suggest alternatives, and improve efficiency, but they do not replace human editorial judgement. Decisions about content, language, accuracy, and presentation remain the responsibility of the author and publisher.

Cover Art and Illustrations
Canadian Outdoor Press favours original photography, illustration, and other artwork created by people. Wherever practical, we aim to work with human artists and photographers in developing our book covers and interior illustrations.

Moving forward, where AI-generated imagery is used, we will acknowledge its use in the book's front matter. We believe readers deserve to know how the books they purchase have been created.

Accuracy and Accountability
AI-generated information can be incomplete, misleading, or simply incorrect. Any information or suggestions incorporated into our publications must be evaluated with the same care applied to material from other sources.
The use of AI does not diminish our responsibility to produce accurate, thoughtful, and carefully prepared books.

Respect for Authors and Their Work
We respect the intellectual property and creative contributions of our authors. Canadian Outdoor Press does not sell or license authors' manuscripts or published works for the purpose of training AI models without appropriate authorisation.

We also recognise that authors may have different views about AI-assisted editorial work and are open to discussing reasonable preferences as part of the publishing process.

Looking Ahead
Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, and so will the questions surrounding its use in publishing. We intend to approach these developments with curiosity, caution, and a willingness to reconsider our practices as circumstances change.

Our guiding principle remains straightforward: Technology should support human creativity, not replace it.