When a marketing executive uses AI to draft a client proposal, should they disclose it? What about a doctor using AI to analyze medical images, or a teacher generating discussion questions? As artificial intelligence weaves itself into the fabric of professional life, the question of disclosure has evolved from a philosophical curiosity into a pressing business imperative, one that reverberates through every level of human society. At the individual level, AI disclosure touches something that we tend to take for granted: our relationship with authenticity. When we present AI-generated work as entirely our own, we navigate a complex terrain of aspirations, emotions, thoughts, and sensations that make up the human experience. We may aspire to appear competent, fear judgement, try to rationalize what “counts” as our work, or experience discomfort with potential deception.
