HAMP Mark

Human and Machine Provenance
A clear way to describe how work was made.

Provenance means where a work came from and how it was made. The categories describe contributions and creative decisions, without ranking quality, worth, authenticity or ethical merit.

Human-created

People develop the creative ideas and expression. Ordinary digital tools, proofreading and technical processing are compatible with this, including AI used for these tasks where it preserves the work’s creative content and intended expression.

Human-led creation

People establish the creative direction and substantially shape the result. AI generates or reworks expressive material retained in the finished work.

Shared creative development

Human contributions and AI proposals repeatedly reshape both the concept and its expression.

AI-led, human-shaped

AI establishes most of the creative concept, structure and material. People make substantive selections, edits or adaptations.

AI-generated

AI produces the creative content from a brief, with minimal subsequent human shaping.

Connected forms

A circle represents human contributions; a square represents AI contributions. A diagonal’s starting form identifies creative leadership, rather than greater worth. Short joins indicate directed workflows; a slight overlap represents repeated shared development. Unfamiliar glyphs need a legend. Fixed sizes do not measure shares.

Always include the full category label. Start at 32 pixels for digital use. At 16 pixels the joins and overlap can be difficult to distinguish. Test smaller uses and physical print proofs at their intended size.

The four disclosure fields

Sources: What material did the work start from, and where did it come from?
Creative direction and development: Who established and developed its concept, structure and expressive choices?
Production: How was the finished text, imagery, audio or other material produced?
Review and approval: Who checked and approved the result?

Different components may need different declarations. Supplied source material is distinct from model training data: do not imply knowledge of training sources you do not have. Record source permissions or another basis for use separately.

Familiar creative roles

Human-created can involve writers, editors, colourists, musicians and producers. Routine proofreading and technical processing do not require itemised tool disclosure. Consider what AI contributes to the concept and expression. Creative leadership, credit and ownership are distinct questions.

Interpretation and limits

Shared does not mean 50/50. A human brief can lead to AI-generated work. Approval alone does not establish creative leadership. Time, prompt count and tool brand do not decide the category. Routine proofreading and technical processing can remain Human-created when they preserve the work’s creative content and intended expression. Retained generated or reworked creative expression calls for reassessment. Explain uncertainty instead of forcing precision.

HAMP Mark describes a creator’s declared process. It does not independently verify that account or establish copyright ownership, permission to use source material, or legal compliance. It is not a quality score or a guarantee of factual accuracy.

Draft 0.1 — for discussion. The five categories are being tested. Connected forms is the chosen design direction; final artwork, colours and reuse terms remain to be agreed.