Medium and the Blanket AI Ban 😶

Medium’s AI policy feels like gatekeeping: spellcheck is fine, but real AI use is banned. Here’s why that doesn’t fly.

<h2> <a href="#updated"> </a> UPDATED </h2> <p>Thank you, <a href="https://dev.to/fatherofcurses">@fatherofcurses</a> for making me stop and actually think through <em>solutions</em>. So I've updated my post on <a href="">Medium</a> and suggested this system that I think we all would be able to live with (<em>your</em> here is <em>Medium's</em>):</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F6rv2yc0bs2pwe59a6k5p.png"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F6rv2yc0bs2pwe59a6k5p.png" alt="short dotted horizontal divider"></a></p> <p>👉 Don’t exclude everybody by default. <strong>AI ≠ “bad”</strong>. It can be misused, sure, but stereotyping an entire group of writers because of a few bad actors isn’t okay.</p> <p>Here’s what I propose:</p> <ul> <li>Create an <strong>AI pre-approval</strong> system.</li> <li>If a writer wants their AI-assisted work to be eligible for your programs, let them <strong>apply</strong>.</li> <li>Get your human reviewers involved — tear the post apart, see if it’s worthy.</li> <li>If it passes, give them a badge 🏷️ that automatically shows up on their page.</li> </ul> <p>Now, two good things happen:</p> <ol> <li>Writers aren’t forced to keep disclaiming “AI-generated” every post — the badge already says it.</li> <li>Once approved, their work is treated like everyone else’s. <strong>No blanket exclusion</strong>, just fair review.</li> </ol> <p>Yes, it’s a little more work on your end. But it’s a whole lot easier to swallow — and way more fair — for the rest of us.</p> <hr> <h2> <a href="#the-original"> </a> THE ORIGINAL </h2> <blockquote> <p>I’ve been meaning to write this since I first saw Medium's post on Friday — but, you know, life happens. So a little late, but I wanted to share. You tell me — <em>am I the crazy one here?</em> 🫤</p> <p>👆 Also, River has shown up in a few posts already — the Leonardo reimagining of my blog character. She’s still missing some key features (training tokens are tapped out until the month resets), but you get the idea. 😆 Expect a couple more tweaks coming soon.</p> </blockquote> <p>So Friday was my chill day (rare, but they do happen) and I noticed somebody had followed me on Medium. Which is funny, because I’d already canceled my membership — it just hadn’t expired yet. Five bucks a month isn’t exactly breaking the bank, so I thought, fine, maybe I’ll toss a few posts over there alongside LinkedIn.</p> <p>That <em>was</em> the plan. Until I landed on Medium’s homepage and saw this headline:</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/blog/we-want-your-feedback-how-can-writers-use-ai-to-tell-human-stories-eb9dee926f2e">“We want your feedback: how can writers use AI to tell human stories?”</a></p> <blockquote> <p>🦄 Perfect hook, right? Except two scrolls later I was fuming like I was just called in for a rollback on a Friday night. 😡</p> </blockquote> <hr> <h2> <a href="#the-fine-print"> </a> The Fine Print 🔍 </h2> <p>By the time you dig through the post, the documentation, and the linked policies, the message is clear:</p> <ul> <li>AI as spellcheck? Totally fine. ✅ </li> <li>ChatGPT outlines and fact-checks? Approved. ✅ </li> <li>Anything more (drafting, editing, all other AI assistance)? ❌ <ul> <li>You’re officially outside their definition of “writer.”</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>And if you <em>do</em> dare use AI, you have to declare it at the very top of your post, within the first two paragraphs, and again on every image. Metadata doesn’t count.</p> <blockquote> <p>🦄 <strong>TL;DR:</strong> If you lean on AI for anything beyond grammar, you can write on Medium, but you’ll never get boosted, partnered, or featured. You <em>can</em> post, but you’re standing outside in the rain while everyone else gets a table inside. 🍽️</p> </blockquote> <hr> <h2> <a href="#why-it-feels-off"> </a> Why It Feels Off 🤔 </h2> <p>Look, I get it. Nobody wants a feed full of unedited AI sludge. I’m not trying to game the system either. I’m not chasing claps or badges. I write because it’s fun, because I need a break from code, and because I have opinions the world clearly needs to hear. 😉 </p> <p><strong>AI doesn’t erase my voice — it sharpens it.</strong></p> <p>So calling everything in between spellcheck and prompt-posting off limits? No appeal, no nuance, just blanket exclusion? <em>That’s</em> where I’m lost.</p> <p>Developers talk nonstop about AI. Colleges too. It’s a huge, messy, <strong>important conversation</strong>. And Medium — the site that prides itself on being the “top blogging platform” — takes the most stereotypical, exclusionary stance possible. ChatGPT usually gets painted as the villain here, but really, it’s just the stand-in for all the tools that make the work easier.</p> <p>Honestly, it feels less like quality control and more like gatekeeping. Nuance would’ve made sense. Even a "don't automate your blog posts" sounds great. <em>This?</em> It's like they skipped gray completely and went straight to Twilight Zone monochrome. </p> <hr> <h2> <a href="#my-reply"> </a> My Reply ✍️ </h2> <p>You know I couldn’t resist. 🤷‍♀️ Yes — I dropped a response directly on Medium's front door, and linked to it right in their own discussion. That’s the only thing I’ve ever published over there besides the previous post on <a href="https://dev.to/anchildress1/how-i-blog-with-bots-but-you-can-still-blame-me-2861">Blogging with Bots</a> I forwarded as an explanation. </p> <p>If you want the full-on-rant version of how I pushed back, here it is:</p> <div class="ltag__link"> <a href="https://medium.com/@anchildress1/humansforai-a-story-of-little-value-6c0d43993f92"> <div class="ltag__link__pic"> <img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fmiro.medium.com%2Fv2%2Fresize%3Afill%3A64%3A64%2F1%2ATZVVqJNsp3A8aaoQjHtrbA.jpeg" alt="Ashley Childress"> </div> </a> <a href="https://medium.com/@anchildress1/humansforai-a-story-of-little-value-6c0d43993f92"> <div class="ltag__link__content"> <h2>#HumansForAI: A Story of “Little Value” | by Ashley Childress | Aug, 2025 | Medium</h2> <h3>Ashley Childress ・ <time datetime="2025-08-29T17:11:19.353Z">Aug 29, 2025</time> ・ <div class="ltag__link__servicename"> <img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fassets.dev.to%2Fassets%2Fmedium-f709f79cf29704f9f4c2a83f950b2964e95007a3e311b77f686915c71574fef2.svg" alt="Medium Logo"> Medium </div> </h3> </div> </a> </div> <hr> <h2> <a href="#wrapping-it-up"> </a> Wrapping It Up 🌱 </h2> <p>I’m calmer now, but the question still bugs me. AI doesn’t erase my voice — it just lets me shape it faster, sharper, and with a little extra spark. So if Medium can’t see that, maybe that’s their loss.</p> <p>And hey, I don’t want this to be a solo rant echoing into the void either! <strong>I want to know what you think.</strong> Is this really such a crime against writing, or is Medium being willfully old-school about it? </p> <blockquote> <p>🦄 Let’s hash it out right here — the corner of the internet where the fun people hang around anyway.</p> </blockquote> <hr> <h2> <a href="#powered-by-espresso-shots-a-healthy-eyeroll-and-a-touch-of-ai-cleanup"> </a> 🛡️ Powered by espresso shots, a healthy eye-roll, and a touch of AI cleanup ⚔️ </h2> <p>All opinions are mine, ChatGPT just helped keep the rant from running off the rails (again).</p>