AI Transparency Statement
At rare, our work emerges from deep partnerships: with land, community, artists, scientists and each other. As stewards of the land entrusted to us, we think long-term, and as we plan for and move into the next decades of conservation, food sovereignty, artistic inquiry and relational care, we are also exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) might support and strengthen our purpose.
We believe in augmenting human connection, not automating or replacing it. We believe that relationships with land, people and knowledge systems are at the heart of what makes conservation effective, ethical and sustainable long-term.
What We Use AI For
We have created a Responsible AI Use Policy that guides how we approach AI technology in ways that are ethical, sustainable and equitable. When we use AI, it is to augment, not substitute, human creativity, decision-making and relationship-building. For example, we may use AI to:
- draft or refine documents, reports and proposals,
- design infographics or support education and communication materials,
- identify patterns in ecological data to support research and monitoring,
- streamline administrative workflows, freeing staff time for deeper personal engagement.
Every AI-supported document is reviewed by humans and held to the same standard of care and reflection as any of our other work. In all cases, humans remain in charge, deciding what questions to ask, editing and contextualising outputs and deciding how and whether to include AI‑generated material.
What We Commit To
- Transparency. We disclose in accessible, plain language when and how AI is used in public reports and programmatic content.
- Environmental Responsibility. We acknowledge that AI technology, like other digital technologies, has a heavy ecological footprint. We aim to minimise that footprint through thoughtful tool selection, lean usage and by balancing benefits with our environmental commitments. We have participated in training on Responsible AI use organized through the Sustainability Network and will continue to advocate with other environmental organizations to develop more sustainable digital technologies. We are working on tracking and offsetting methods.
- Human Oversight. AI never replaces human decision-making, especially in matters of employment, relationships, land or community representation. We do not use AI tools in our hiring process.
- Relational Integrity and Consent. AI does not replace storytelling, art-making or relationship-building. We will not use AI to generate creative pieces for which artists could be commissioned. We respect privacy rights and do not use personal information with AI tools.
- Equity and Ethics. We use AI to increase accessibility (e.g., through translation of academic writing into plain language), and review AI-generated documents for bias to uphold our commitments to justice and inclusion.
- AI Literacy, Training & Culture of Experimentation. Aligned with our organizational culture where curiosity, experimentation and “failing forward” are valued, we invest in ongoing AI literacy and training for staff and encourage trying out new ways and tools for our work. We recognise that AI readiness is a technical shift as much as a cultural one: building reflective practice across teams helps ground AI use in achieving our collective goals over hype or polarization.
- Ongoing Learning. As we are learning through reflective practice, our policy is reviewed every six months by our Administrative and JEDDI (Justice, Equity, Decolonization, Diversity and Inclusion) teams to remain responsive to evolving best practices and community input.
- Life‑Work Balance & Time‑Use Intentionality. We do not use AI to replace humans and the important work they do in our organization. We use AI to support a healthier balance of life and work by reducing drudgery in administrative tasks and freeing human time for reflection, learning, strategic thinking and care (for self and others, including guilt-free rest), all core to the sustainable workplace culture we nurture at rare.
Our Responsible AI Use Policy is a living document that we will review and update frequently as we continue to learn about AI use and its benefits and challenges. It exists to hold us accountable to the kind of world we are trying to build: one that is livable, just and rooted in reciprocity.
Technologies like AI can either amplify the logics of extraction or open space for different ways of being, knowing and relating. We are learning to treat AI as another site of inquiry and transformation. If you want to learn more about AI in this context, we recommend the research work by Vanessa Andreotti, linked below.
At rare, we commit to using AI in ways that are ecologically responsible and relationally aware. We do not believe AI can or should ever replace human connection and critical thinking, but where thoughtfully integrated, it might help us deepen it.
Thank you for walking alongside us as we explore this new technology, together.
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