AI Use Disclosure

How AI fits into our editorial workflow — and the boundaries we won't cross.

Why this page exists

Generative AI is increasingly used to produce online content. We use it too — for drafting, research and editorial support. Readers deserve to know how, and where the limits are.

What we use AI for

  • Outlining and structuring guides — turning a topic brief into a logical content tree before a human editor refines it.
  • First-pass drafting — generating a rough draft from cited research notes, which a human editor then edits, fact-checks, and rewrites for voice and accuracy.
  • Research synthesis — summarising specifications from manufacturer documentation, cross-referencing rules from governing-body PDFs, and aggregating cited expert reviews. Sources are always retained and cited.
  • Editing and proofreading — grammar, readability, internal-link suggestions, schema-markup generation, alt-text drafting.
  • SEO and metadata — title-tag length checks, meta-description drafts, structured-data validation.

What we don't use AI for

  • Fabricated personal experience. AI will not be used to invent "I tested 15 paddles" stories. If a tester is named, the test happened.
  • Made-up statistics, quotes or sources. Every statistic, every quote, every source citation is verified by a human editor against an external reference before publication.
  • Hidden authorship. Pages have a named author or editorial entity. We do not pretend AI-assisted content was written entirely by a particular human.
  • Generating fake testimonials, reviews or social proof. No invented "Sarah from Bristol said" copy. Player feedback referenced on the site is drawn from real public sources and cited.
  • Replacing human review. Every published piece goes through a human editor before going live. AI does not have publish permissions.

Verification steps every guide goes through

  1. AI-generated draft is run through a fact-check pass against the cited sources.
  2. Specifications (paddle weight, court dimensions, rule numbers) are verified against the original manufacturer or governing-body document.
  3. Links are checked for live status, relevance and (where applicable) UK retailer availability.
  4. UK-specific terminology, currency and venue references are normalised — US-only references are caught and rewritten.
  5. A human editor reads the final piece end to end before publication.

What this means for you, the reader

  • Guides are written to be accurate, not just plausible.
  • Where we say a paddle weighs 220g, the manufacturer says it weighs 220g.
  • Where we quote a rule, you can follow the citation to the rulebook.
  • Where we summarise an expert opinion, you can follow the citation to that expert.
  • If we ever get something wrong, the editorial policy covers how corrections work.

On the broader debate

We think AI-assisted content can be excellent or appalling depending on how it's used. Used to plagiarise other sites, invent experiences, and flood the index with low-quality near-duplicates, it's bad for the reader and bad for the web. Used to accelerate research, free up editorial time for the parts that actually need a human (UK localisation, on-the-ground court reporting, real interviews), it's a tool worth using — provided the disclosures are honest.

This page is that honesty.

Questions or concerns

If you spot a passage that reads as AI-generated and feels off, or you have a question about our process, contact us via the footer (where available).