AI & Automation Policy
Last updated August 2026
Real Sim is candid about automation. This page explains exactly where automated systems assist and the hard limits they operate under.
Where automation assists
Automation helps with story discovery, research organisation, drafting, verification, image workflows and the mechanics of publication. A separate verification model reviews critical claims from the one that drafts a story.
Institutional bylines
We publish under desk bylines such as Real Sim Desk or Real Sim Hardware Desk. We do not invent human authors, and we do not attempt to evade AI-detection systems. We aim to produce useful, natural journalism and disclose the workflow.
Hard limits
Automation may never invent hands-on experience, a quotation, a source, a price, a product test or an image right. Uncertainty prevents publication — the system fails closed.
AI illustrations
Where a lawful factual image is unavailable, we may use a clearly labelled AI-generated editorial illustration. It is never presented as documentary evidence and always carries a visible caption.