Notifying users about the policy on AU concerning AI-generated content

Question

We have an upcoming opportunity, probably in January 2024, to increase awareness of the Ask Ubuntu prohibition on AI-generated content. Currently we have only 2 active notification areas:

1. AI-generated content is not permitted on Ask Ubuntu: This is the policy itself which sits in Meta and will usually have a 'featured' tag affixed to bring a link to the main AU page.
2. Welcome to Ask Ubuntu: The 'Tour' page contains a link to the AI policy; in theory all users take the Tour but experience suggests that most do not.

It is more than a little scanty and there have been some users claiming ignorance of our AI prohibition when approached by Moderators about such content in their answers.

As a result of the consensus reached in the recent Moderation Strike there will be another option, available soon, that we can bring in to play. This would entail a warning that will show to users pasting in content to the answer box, notifying the user about the prohibition on AI-generated content. This could not be missed or overlooked.

On Stack Overflow this will look something like the following 'first concept' image:

My proposal is that we opt in and take this option when it is available with the obvious change of 'Stack Overflow' to 'Ask Ubuntu' and a link to our own policy in the 'Learn More' link. But the beginning of this process, as with most larger changes, is consultation with the community, and here we are...

Answer 1

I agree with the direction, as I had proposed something in this regard in my post in January 2023:

Additionally, we could consider putting up small, unobtrusive banners where relevant (maybe accompanying the question- and answer submission forms).

While the message promises to be useful, I find a specific issue with the presented design mockup:

The problem is the placement of that banner, it's literally sitting inside the same textarea I am typing my answer into.

It seems to fall into a similar category with those distressing and "impatient" alert banners that some e-mail-address-field validation tools produce, while one is still typing:

"This is not a valid e-mail address! Fix it already!"

"I know, smart*ss, I have just started typing the first character, lemme finish first!"

You perhaps had already encountered such.

Now the hereby suggested placement of the banner has a somewhat related problem, and it is that this overly pesky banner™ keeps putting pressure on the user with a humiliating, and thus, highly distressing suspicion, that seems to presume at all times that the user wants to post AI content.

And this suspicion cannot even be resolved by correcting the content in any ways: I presume, the banner stays up all the while the answer is being produced.

One can get rid of that feeling of accusation only by completing the post and leaving the form.

That's humiliating and distressing.

Posting here ends up being rewarded with distress. We do not intend that.

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It also does not make sense to put this accusatory piece of UI in between the content that I produce and the tools I use in producing it.

If I rely on any of those WYSIWYG buttons on the top, my mouse cursor has to travel over —and land right next to— this visually prominent, psychologically distressing ("no, I am still not committing that offense that it keeps reminding me about") piece of information.

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I do believe that this effect is brought to existence solely by the placement, and proximity of that banner to the textarea device.

Putting the banner just a teeny-weeny bit away, could alter the message:

"We know that you wouldn't post that kind of content. This reminder has to be here out of necessity, but you are free to tune it out; your contribution is appreciated, and we are thankful for it; we recognize and cater to your need to post with dignity."

A different placement, just putting that banner a teeny-weeny bit away, could do away with the problematic effect.

Put it outside of the textarea-device please.