Pacific Sentinel Digital Pty Ltd, the New South Wales company (ACN 634 102 887) that owns and operates Southern Pulse (southernpulse.net), is solely responsible for the ethical deployment of any AI and automation tools on this publication. Editor-in-Chief Victoria Hayes retains full legal and editorial accountability for all safeguards, prohibitions and human-review requirements set out in this policy, which applies to every article, headline, summary and transcript published on the site.
How may AI and automation tools support our work?
AI-assisted technologies may be used to support research, drafting, editing, formatting, translation, metadata generation, headline options, summaries and transcription tasks. These tools never replace human editorial judgement, and no content is published without explicit approval from a named human editor on the Southern Pulse team.
For example, a journalist may use an AI tool to generate alternative headline phrasings for editorial consideration, or to transcribe an interview recording. A fact-checker may use automated software to cross-reference publicly available data. In every case, the output is reviewed, amended and approved by a person with relevant expertise.
What is the human guarantee for every piece of content?
Every article published by Southern Pulse is drafted by a named writer, reviewed by an editor and fact-checked before publication. AI-assisted drafting does not change that process. The named writer remains responsible for the accuracy and fairness of the story, and the editor who approves it for publication is accountable under the editorial standards set by Victoria Hayes.
No AI system is listed as an author, co-author or source. All bylines are real human beings, and all author experience or expert profiles are genuine. If a reader wishes to verify the human chain behind any article, they may contact the Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, Thomas Walsh, at thomas.walsh@southernpulse.net.
What is strictly prohibited under this policy?
AI tools must never fabricate quotes, sources, interviews, bylines, author experience or expert profiles. No automated system may generate or alter factual claims, statistics, dates, names or verifiable details without human verification. AI cannot make editorial decisions, set news priorities, determine story angles or approve content for publication.
Our editorial policy and fact-checking policy are binding on all staff, including when using AI-assistance. Any AI output that violates these standards is rejected before publication. The newsroom is trained to treat AI tools as aids, never as authors or decision-makers.
How does our commercial model interact with AI and automation?
Southern Pulse is funded by display advertising, affiliate links, commercial partnerships, sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships and content licensing. Sponsored or commercial material is clearly labelled, and affiliate links are disclosed. These commercial relationships never determine editorial conclusions, and the same human-review requirements apply to all content, including sponsored pieces.
Advertising, affiliate and sponsorship policies are detailed in our advertising and affiliate disclosure and sponsored content policy. No AI tool is used to personalise or target editorial content based on user data, and no automated system may create or modify commercial disclosures.
What oversight and accountability structures are in place?
Victoria Hayes, Editor-in-Chief, is the final authority on AI-related editorial decisions and has designated Thomas Walsh as the Standards & Fact-Checking Lead to manage day-to-day compliance. Any staff member who identifies a potential breach of this policy is required to report it immediately to Thomas Walsh or Victoria Hayes.
Readers who believe an article may have been produced or altered by AI in violation of this policy may contact complaints@southernpulse.net or use our complaints procedure. All complaints are investigated and responded to in writing. Our corrections policy ensures that any errors identified through this process are promptly corrected and transparently noted.
For further detail on our editorial standards, see our editorial policy. To meet the team responsible for upholding these standards, visit our team page. For general inquiries or to report a concern, use our contact page.
Our commitments
- All editorial content published on Southern Pulse is reviewed and approved by a named human editor before publication.
- AI tools may support research, drafting, formatting, transcription, translation, metadata, headline options and summaries — but never replace human editorial judgement or decision-making.
- We strictly prohibit AI from fabricating quotes, sources, interviews, bylines, author experience or expert profiles. Any violation results in immediate removal of the content and a published correction.
- Commercial relationships, including affiliate links and sponsored content, are clearly disclosed and never influence editorial conclusions. AI is not used to personalise or target editorial content.
- We maintain a named editorial leader (Victoria Hayes, Editor-in-Chief) and a dedicated Standards & Fact-Checking Lead (Thomas Walsh) who are accountable for enforcing this policy and responding to reader concerns.