My digital tools and AI policy

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity are ever-evolving. Equally, our ability to turn off features or minimise their use isn’t always straightforward or possible. I know I’m not the only one who finds these features’ intrusion into my daily and professional life unwelcome.

I use plenty of digital tools to help me edit your manuscripts, but wherever possible, I don’t use AI features.

I’ve written this policy so you know what digital tools I use when I am editing your text.

Last updated 21 January 2026

Why I use digital tools

To provide you with the best editorial service I can, I use digital tools as part of my editing process. These tools help speed up my editing, make my editing more accurate, and help reduce RSI on my poor old wrists.

Some of these tools have AI features that run in the background, but many of them do not. Where possible, I turn off AI features.

Tools I use

Word

All my editing is done in Word. Specifically, I use Word for Microsoft 365. I use Word while connected to the internet, but the program runs locally on my PC. Files are saved to my computer and are backed up with iDrive. I have Copilot turned off, but it may be running in the background. Microsoft has a handy FAQ about Microsoft 365.

iDrive

I use iDrive to back up my PC and files; it’s like OneDrive (but better). It doesn’t use AI. Uploaded data is securely stored in iDrive-managed data centres. Here’s more about iDrive’s security.

PerfectIt

PerfectIt is a plugin for Word; I use it to check for consistency across your text. It allows me to make sure that words, numbers, hyphenation, and a lot more, are consistently spelled and formatted throughout your text.

PerfectIt does not use AI and it does not send data to cloud storage or online servers. It operates offline on my PC.

PhraseExpress

PhraseExpress is a text expander. I assign keyboard shortcuts to phrases, comments, and urls that I use during every edit. For example, when I type “;co”, it fills out my email address. When I type “;do”, it autocompletes “Does this retain your meaning?” – a common comment I leave on manuscripts. Amazing! It’s a real time saver and RSI reducer.

I do not use the AI functions, and no AI functions are running in the background. It does not send data to cloud storage or online servers; it operates offline on my PC.

Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader is what I use to proofread PDFs and create PDFs. It runs locally on my PC; files are saved to my computer and are backed up with iDrive. This version of Adobe Reader does not use Acrobat AI Assistant.

Macros

Macros are mini programs that run inside Word. I use them to speed up my editing and analyse text. They do not use AI, and they operate offline on my PC. No data or text gets exported to cloud storage or online servers.

Google Meet

I’m always keen for a chat! I use Google Meet for my online calls. Video calls are end-to-end encrypted. If we record our call, that recording is processed and saved on my online Google Drive, and I only share the link to that recording with you. I delete the video after one year. 

If you want, I can create a transcript of our call. Transcripts are saved in my online Google Drive and again, I only share the link to the transcript with you.

I don’t actively use AI features or Gemini in Google Meet, but they may be running in the background. I don’t use Gemini to take notes in calls, but if you would like to, you are welcome to.

Understand the basics of privacy in Google Meet.

Online resources

I use a host of websites to carry out my editing and fact checking. The dictionaries, thesauruses, and style guides are industry standards and allow me to provide a professional service.

• Dictionaries and thesauruses: Oxford Dictionaries (subscription required), Merriam-Webster (free), Macquarie Dictionary (subscription required), Word Hippo (free).
• Style guides: New Hart’s Rules (subscription required), Chicago Manual of Style (subscription required), APA 7 (in book form), MLA (in book form).
• Google (on Firefox): I avoid the AI overview and instead aim to find trusted websites to source information and check facts.

My editorial comments and reports

I am an overthinker. Asking myself questions, writing, and rewriting (and rewriting) is how I analyse your text and communicate my thoughts. This process would be much quicker if I used generative AI like ChatGPT, but for me, the act of thinking, drafting, and revising is central to the way I process my thoughts.

The edits I make and the suggestions and comments I leave on your manuscript are written by me, a professional human editor. When I make a change, I make it for a reason. I rarely even use the “replace all” feature in Word because I want to make sure I’m not making changes with unintended consequences.

My use of generative AI in the editing process

I do not use generative AI to edit, recast, or change your text. Nor do I use generative AI to develop suggestions for rephrasing or rewording. All the suggestions I give have come from my own squishy brain.

When a particularly gnarly grammatical issue has me stumped, I turn to my trusted grammar books and trusted colleagues. Any sentences that I need a second opinion on are anonymised and focus only on the grammatical issue I am trying to solve.

Wrapping up

Handing over your manuscript to an editor is an act of trust. You’re trusting me with your work, and that is a trust I take seriously.

By outlining the tools I use and how I use them, I am sticking to my values of providing honest, constructive, and professional editorial services.

If you have any questions about these tools, please do email me. I’m happy to explain in more detail, and if we get on a Google Meet call together, I can share my screen and give you a live demo.

Want to learn more? Check out what editing with me looks like. I provide:

• Constructive, kind feedback that goes far beyond just catching typos and fixing grammar.
• Suggestions to fix issues like plot holes, flat dialogue, or dull descriptions.
• Suggestions that enhance your voice and personality so your story sounds like you.
• Encouragement to bend the “rules” when it works

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