Growth Story AI Policies

Growth Story AI Policy Overview

We use AI as a research and drafting tool, not a replacement for human-created strategy, voice, or creativity. Every client deliverable is shaped, refined, and approved by a human. AI helps us move faster and consider things we may not have thought of on our own, but we would never take something from AI and share it as a client deliverable.

Part 1: Internal Policy

Where We Use AI

Research & Strategy

AI supports the early-stage thinking that makes our work more grounded and efficient. This includes:

• Market and competitor research to identify positioning opportunities
• Synthesizing industry trends relevant to your niche
• Generating initial frameworks for brand strategy documents

Copywriting & Content

AI is sometimes used to generate early-stage drafts or to explore different directional approaches to your copy. However:

• All AI-assisted copy is treated as a rough starting point only
• Every word in your final deliverable is reviewed, rewritten, and approved by Allie
• Your voice, your story, and your specific client insights are always layered in by hand
• We do not deliver AI-generated copy as a finished product

Where We Do Not Use AI

These are areas where AI has no place in our work:

• Emails: We never want you to feel like you’re talking to a robot. Our emails are written straight from our human brains and fingers, typos and all.
• Visual creative work: We do not use AI to generate logos, color palettes, art, photography, illustrations, or video. Any visual direction, moodboards, or design assets we produce or recommend come from human creative sources.
• Client confidential information: We do not input sensitive client data, business financials, or confidential strategy into AI tools with public-facing data policies.

How We Protect Your Information

When AI tools are used in our process, we follow these practices to keep your information safe:

• We do not share your personal details, business financials, or proprietary strategies with AI platforms
• We use AI tools with privacy-conscious settings where available
• We treat everything you share with us as confidential

Our Commitment to Minimizing Harm

We recognize that using AI tools is not a neutral act. The infrastructure behind these systems consumes significant energy and water resources, and the rapid expansion of AI has environmental consequences. These consequences shape our use of AI tools.

Environmental Impact

AI model training and inference require substantial computing power, which translates to energy consumption and carbon emissions. We can’t eliminate that footprint by choosing to use these tools, but we try to be thoughtful about it:

• We use AI deliberately, not reflexively. If a task doesn’t genuinely benefit from AI assistance, we don’t use it
• We avoid running redundant or exploratory AI queries just to experiment, keeping our usage purposeful and limited
• We stay informed about the environmental practices of the tools we use and factor that into which platforms we choose

Part 2: Client Agreement Terms

No AI Input on Brand & Website Drafts

As part of our project agreements, clients agree not to input the branding and website drafts we create into AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, etc.). This is a contract term for a few reasons:

• AI tools train on creative work without consent, and we don’t want our clients’ brand materials (even in the concept stages) contributing to that training
• AI-generated alternate versions of a logo or design element are often not editable, accessible, printable, or trademarkable — and we will not recreate or incorporate something AI has generated
• If AI-modified concepts are sent back to us with a request to use them, we’re not able to

Creative Feedback Happens Live

We ask that creative feedback be given directly to Allie rather than filtered through an AI tool first. In practice, this means:

• Feedback is best given on a live call, where Allie can interpret and translate even a “jumbled brain dump” into concrete design direction
• We don’t rely on AI-generated critique emails to guide revisions — AI tools are trained to always suggest something to improve, which often produces feedback that isn’t actually rooted in your brand strategy or goals

This is the best use of both of our time, keeps the review process efficient and keeps creative decisions grounded in strategy.

No AI-Generated Imagery on Your Website

We do not use AI-generated photos or graphics as part of your website deliverable. Every visual element is intentionally chosen to represent your business credibly and professionally. After launch, if you manage your own site, you’re welcome to make your own choices, but AI imagery won’t be something we introduce or consider during our work together.

Questions?

We’re always happy to talk through how we work. If you have questions about these policies, please reach out.

Contact:

Allie Gibson
Founder, Growth Story
hello@growthstory.com