AI is changing how work gets done, including ours. We use it carefully, in ways that give us more time for the parts of our work that matter most: building relationships, listening deeply, and helping groups make good decisions together. Here's how we approach it.
Our values
- Transparency. We're open with our team, clients, and prospective clients about when and how we use AI, and we're glad to explain it anytime. We never use AI to simulate human interaction.
- Human accountability. Our team is fully accountable for every work product, whether or not AI helped create it. AI supports our judgment; it doesn't replace it.
- Equity and bias mitigation. We choose tools and practices that support equity and reduce bias, consistent with the values at the heart of our work.
- Privacy and confidentiality. We protect client data and work with each client to decide how AI is used on their project.
- Environmental stewardship. AI systems use significant energy and water. We work to minimize unnecessary use, including by prompting efficiently.
- Ethical sourcing. As with any purchase, we look for AI companies whose values align with ours, including respect for the creative work of writers and artists.
- Learning and adaptability. This is an emerging moment. Our approach will evolve, and we'll keep learning and sharing what we learn with our team and clients.
How we use AI
- Drafting and refining content: structuring ideas, testing ways to explain complex concepts, and polishing language.
- Organizing and analyzing information: working through large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data to identify themes and organize findings.
- Expanding our thinking: challenging assumptions, surfacing other perspectives, and stress-testing our approaches. It's a sounding board, not a source.
- Research and background preparation: learning about a client's field or context. We verify everything before we use it.
- Content production: turning core insights into newsletters, posts, and other formats without redundant rewriting.
What stays human
AI output is always a starting point. We check it for accuracy and revise it to reflect our voice, or yours, before anyone outside WNT sees it. The ideas, perspectives, and decisions are always ours. We don't use AI to make decisions, imitate real people, or take actions without a person reviewing and approving each step.
Protecting your information
We never upload personally identifiable information about your staff or the people you serve, or any documents you consider confidential.
Your project, your choice
Before we start working together, we'll talk with you about how you'd like AI used on your project: as described here, with limits you set, or not at all. If you'd rather we not use AI, we'll talk through any effect on timeline or budget up front, so there are no surprises.
We also encourage every client to have an AI policy of their own, and we're glad to help you develop one if you don't yet.
Questions about how we use AI? We're always happy to talk, please contact us at info@woollardnicholstorres.com.
Last reviewed: September 2026. We revisit our approach at least once a year.