How we use AI:

In a world where AI is becoming part of how we create and communicate, many of us wonder: How much of what we read, watch, or engage with was created by humans? And how much was shaped by artificial intelligence? We believe transparency is the foundation of trust, which is why we want to be open about how we use AI in our content creation. 

Of course, the topic gives us pause. Like probably everyone else. At the most basic level: to what extent is AI a threat, and to what extent a catalyst and a useful working tool? Should we rather avoid AI, or make use of its potential? Will AI one day replace us and know far more and better about steward ownership than we do ourselves? Will we as humans even be needed to take the concept to the next level? Will our ideas, our approaches, our materials, our thinking still be needed at all?

We're no fortune tellers. But neither is AI. The outputs of LLMs are based on accumulated knowledge of the world. Human knowledge. Knowledge that already exists. That isn't enough to create something new whose potential points to the future, and to keep developing a social innovation like steward ownership whose focus is on social entities made up of more than ones and zeros: companies.

So we can answer the question with a clear yes: yes, the work around steward ownership needs us as humans. Because it is a profoundly human subject, one that keeps evolving, reshaping and changing itself, and because shaping how people live and work together will always require a human component. And secondly, and this carries just as much weight: because we want to. We want to say yes to humanity. And as humans, we don't want to hand over the steering wheel to machines.

It is precisely that human gesture that defines the strength and the beauty of steward ownership. And its potential. Ultimately, steward ownership is about putting people at the heart of companies. About understanding the economy as a system that serves people – and not the other way round. About bringing back self-determination and independence to companies as human constructs – and away from absentee owners that have nothing to do with the actual business. That takes human agency. It would be absurd to leave the thinking, the acting and the deciding to machines. Because what could be more absent than a machine? 

On the other hand, we do see AI as a tool that can help us make our work processes more precise and efficient. AI can help to research faster, to find connections, it can act as a mirror of one's own thoughts and thereby spark new ones. But we firmly believe that it always takes one's own impulse to think: human intelligence as the trigger and the foundation for everything that can then be brought to a result – also with the help of AI. To let human and artificial intelligence dance with one another in a healthy and efficient way: that is the maxim of how we deal with AI.

While using AI, we also want to consciously look the “dangers” in the eye. Like other technological innovations of the past decades, AI too leads to an immense – and probably the most forceful – acceleration of the economy, of knowledge, of the public sphere, of basically every area of life. Yes, we embrace the productivity gains that AI can offer. But no, a bigger-faster-more logic will never be the goal of our use of AI. 

We follow the debate around the potential benefits and harms of AI very consciously. The question of how power and capital structures of AI-developing companies and corporations are organised is particularly relevant to our work and, of course, lies at the very core of our key topic steward ownership. Accordingly, we strive to use this tool mindfully. Not only in terms of the content it generates and the tool itself, but also, whenever possible, when choosing providers. 

Our approach to AI should, after all, mirror the values that steward ownership brings to the economy and to companies: away from short-term logics of maximisation, towards a long-term commitment to values.

To sum this up and be a little more concrete: 

We make content for people. We are firmly convinced that human involvement, judgement, and supervision will always be needed. Distributing AI-generated content for AI to consume is not the purpose of our work. We therefore always remain in control of every aspect of text production – in terms of structure, central theme, phrasing, and wording. Steward ownership is a highly complex topic. For years already, the constant struggle to find the most accurate descriptions, definitions, and narratives has been at the core of our work. We often brainstorm as a team to find the single best fitting words – for as long as it takes, until we feel that they really land. We will never outsource this kind of intellectual exercise to AI. Thus:  

You will not find any purely AI-generated content on our pages. 

You will not find any texts or articles solely generated by AI. 

You will not find any AI-generated photos or videos that pretend to show realistic scenes. 

We use AI primarily as a research and translation assistant, and to some extent also as a writing aid. In particular, where a personal human touch is what gives a written piece or other material its special value, AI may be left out of the process entirely, or used only in an assistive role.

Ultimately, the question of responsibility for our content remains. That responsibility can never be outsourced to a technical tool. As Purpose Foundation, we bear full responsibility for the content and learning materials published here. We create them to the best of our knowledge and with great care. Where AI is used, we verify the sources and results of its research. This will not always lead to entirely error-free results. We are humans and humans make mistakes – as does AI, by the way – which is why we are grateful for feedback in case you notice anything.