Shetland Arts ‘supports innovative use of AI’ as staff given guidance on usage
Use of AI has to be explicitly approved by Shetland Arts staff prior to use, policy shows
SHETLAND Arts staff have been told they can use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate or support creative content, if explicitly approved beforehand.
Employees can also use AI to create marketing or communications content, internal documents and in administrative tasks, Shetland Arts said in a recent document to staff.
All AI-generated outputs must be reviewed and approved by a Shetland Arts staff member prior to publication or use.
The use of AI, particularly in the arts world, has become a contentious subject, with many writers, artists and musicians strongly opposed to its use.
Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Copilot and Claude have grown in popularity in recent years, but they have been heavily criticised by some in the artistic fields for mimicking or replicating the work of other artists.
Shetland Arts has produced an AI policy for its staff to follow, which was presented to the trust’s board meeting in June.
The arts trust’s chief executive Graeme Howell told Shetland News he recognised that the use of generative AI raised legitimate concerns within the creative sector.
He added that was “precisely why Shetland Arts has put a policy in place” for the use of AI.
“It establishes clear safeguards around its use, including human oversight, transparency, respect for copyright and the principle that the human artist or curator remains the primary creative agent,” Howell added.
Employees were told the AI policy document “outlines Shetland Arts’ approach to the responsible, ethical, and creative use of AI across its operations, communications, and artistic programmes”.
It said the policy “ensures AI is used in ways that align with Shetland Arts’ values of integrity, inclusivity, creativity, and community impact.”
Shetland Arts said it “supports the innovative use of AI in the arts”, if it “enhances creativity, access, and community engagement”.
If AI was to be used in programming, exhibitions or performances, then AI involvement has to be credited “transparently” in public materials it said.
The human artist also had to remain the “primary creative agent” in any project using AI, and Shetland Arts staff should “avoid the use of datasets or tools that exploit artists’ work without consent”.
Proposals to use AI in creative work should be discussed with director of creativity and impact Catriona Macdonald prior to approval, Shetland Arts said.
Staff were told that AI tools may be used to draft and edit internal documents, reports and communications, or perform administrative support tasks.
AI could also be used in “generating or supporting creative content where explicitly approved”, it said.
Marketing and communications content could also be created using AI, subject to review, as well as “audience development, access improvement, and impact evaluation”.
Staff were told that all AI-generated outputs would have to be okayed by a staff member, and that the staff member responsible for publication would be responsible for the content.
Shetland Arts’ employees were also told they could not process or input personal data into public AI systems, or use AI tools to produce “discriminatory, harmful or misleading content”.
AI could also not be used to make final decisions on recruitment, performance or disciplinary matters, Shetland Arts said.
And AI tools should also not be used to replace human judgement in curatorial, educational or safeguarding decisions, it added.
Staff were told that they had to seek approval from their line manager before adopting new AI tools for regular use, and warned that all AI-related concerns should be reported to management immediately.
Shetland Arts said its AI policy would be “reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect developments in AI technology and relevant legislation”.
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