AI Images, Video & Visual Content Policy

1. Purpose and scope

This policy covers content that RFTUK creates, commissions, licenses, edits, embeds or publishes: photographs, video, animation, thumbnails, illustrations, soundtracks, narration, voiceovers, screenshots and AI-generated or AI-altered media.

It applies to Directors, Campaign Leaders, volunteers, contractors and anyone publishing on RFTUK’s behalf. The AI & Digital Tools Governance Policy, privacy, safeguarding, copyright and social-media rules also apply where relevant.

2. Core publishing principles

Visual material must be lawful, accurate in context, respectful of people and rights, accessible where reasonably possible, and consistent with relevant platform terms. An attractive image is not a substitute for evidence.

RFTUK may use original, commissioned, licensed, embedded and AI-assisted material, but publication must be authorised and suitable for its purpose.

• Separate genuine photographs and recordings from illustrations, dramatizations and AI reconstructions.
• Do not fabricate events, endorsements, testimonials or evidence.
• Check sources and secure rights or permission before reusing third-party material.

3. AI images, video and synthetic audio

AI may support illustrations, accessible explanations, animation, voiceovers, captions, translation, restoration and editing where the provider permits it. Human reviewers remain responsible for the final result.

RFTUK will not use realistic synthetic media to deceive viewers about what a real person said or did. A person’s face or voice must not be cloned into a misleading statement or apparent endorsement.

Where a viewer could reasonably mistake synthetic or substantially altered material for a real person, event, place or recording, an appropriate, prominent label will be used.

• Examples of useful labels: “AI-generated illustration”, “Illustrative reconstruction”, or “AI-generated video”.
• Routine colour correction or formatting does not automatically need an AI warning; materially misleading alterations do.

4. Authenticity, evidence and editing

RFTUK must not present AI illustrations or reconstructed scenes as documentary proof. Images, recordings and clips used as evidence should preserve their original context and, where important, the source file.

Cropping, subtitles, voice cleaning and edits must not change the meaning of what happened or what was said. Substantial alterations that affect evidential meaning should be explained. Serious factual claims should be checked against reliable sources.

5. Real people, privacy and permission

Before publishing identifiable images, footage or audio, RFTUK will consider consent or another appropriate lawful basis, privacy, context, confidentiality and data-protection obligations. Permission for one use does not automatically cover advertising, AI transformation, voice cloning or every later reuse.

Confidential case files, restricted recordings, sensitive personal information and access credentials must not be uploaded to public or unapproved AI/media tools. Recordings of meetings and interviews require particular consideration of participants’ expectations.

6. Children, safeguarding and people facing hardship

Images of children and people affected by abuse, homelessness, disability, poverty, trauma or family proceedings must protect dignity, privacy and safety. Child images need suitable permissions, a lawful basis and a safeguarding review where relevant.

RFTUK must not produce or use synthetic images that identify or appear to identify a protected child in a way that defeats reporting restrictions, nor use fabricated suffering to mislead donors or the public. Family-court material requires separate assessment before publication.

7. Copyright, licences and AI-output rights

A publicly available image, song or video is not necessarily free to reproduce. RFTUK must check ownership, licences, creator permissions and any statutory exceptions before copying, altering, distributing or re-uploading material.

AI-generated content is not automatically free of third-party rights, nor is copyright ownership guaranteed for every output. A provider’s terms can grant contractual rights without proving that copyright exists in a particular work.

Credit is good practice where appropriate, but credit alone is not permission. RFTUK must not claim that a trade mark, organisation or person endorses us unless that is true.

8. YouTube and other external videos

RFTUK may use official embedded players where the platform and uploader permit embedding. An embed remains controlled by its host and does not make RFTUK the rights owner.

Downloading and re-uploading another creator’s video or music requires permission, an appropriate licence or a valid legal exception. Short clips are not automatically lawful simply because they are short, credited or used by a non-profit organisation.

For uploads to YouTube or other platforms, RFTUK will follow current copyright, community, altered-content and synthetic-media disclosure rules. YouTube requires disclosure for certain realistic AI-generated or meaningfully altered scenes. Copyright claims must be reviewed before any appeal or counter-notice.

9. Accessibility and inclusive communication

Where reasonably practicable, RFTUK will add captions, meaningful alternative text, readable contrast, transcripts or text summaries for material needed to understand a service or campaign. Automatically produced captions and translations should be checked where errors could alter the meaning.

A video or graphic should not be the only route to essential public information where an accessible alternative is reasonably achievable.

10. Advertising, sponsorship and fundraising

Promotional and fundraising visuals must not include false endorsements, fabricated beneficiaries, invented outcomes or misleading depictions of real services and events.

Paid promotions, gifted products and sponsorships must be disclosed where advertising rules and platform policies require it. A sponsor cannot purchase control over RFTUK’s evidence or factual conclusions.

11. Public-interest campaigning and elections

RFTUK campaigns on public-service issues, transparency and accountability independently of political parties. Reporting on policies, legislation, public spending and decisions does not itself mean endorsing or opposing an electoral candidate.

Before publishing election-adjacent material or paying to promote it, RFTUK will consider the Electoral Commission’s purpose test, current non-party campaigning rules and any applicable spending or digital-imprint requirements.

Under Electoral Commission guidance, paid digital adverts that qualify as “political material” require an imprint. Organic material has different rules depending on its publisher and purpose. Do not assume all issue-based posts require, or are exempt from, an imprint.

Any AI service used to assist this work must comply with its current restrictions, including restrictions on political persuasion, targeting or campaign automation. RFTUK will not fabricate grassroots support, election material or voter endorsements.

12. Review, approval and source records

Before higher-risk publication, the person responsible should check factual accuracy, consent/privacy, copyright, safeguarding, AI labels, advertising and platform rules. Higher-risk items include realistic depictions of real people, serious allegations, children, family-court material, paid political material and images relying on an uncertain copyright exception.

For significant content, RFTUK should retain proportionate records: source, creator, licence or permission, AI tools used, material edits, approval, publication date and any later corrections. Keep records securely and for no longer than necessary.

13. Corrections, takedown requests and complaints

RFTUK will consider reports of misleading, inaccurately labelled, unlawful or rights-infringing material. Where an error is verified, we may correct, relabel, replace or remove the content and explain a significant correction where necessary.

People may raise a concern through the contact route on the RFTUK website. RFTUK may temporarily restrict access to disputed content while it is assessed without treating the complaint as automatically proven.

14. Governance, review and official guidance

This policy is maintained by Right First Time UK Ltd, a non-profit company limited by guarantee, company number 17493370. It is reviewed at least annually and sooner if relevant law, AI technologies, provider terms or RFTUK practices materially change.

Related RFTUK policies include AI & Digital Tools Governance, Data Protection and Privacy, Safeguarding, Social Media, Evidence/Corrections and Website Terms.