For more than 135 years, the National Geographic Society has served as a luminary, expanding our understanding of the world. That has always meant innovating and adopting new technologies to advance our work, and artificial intelligence (AI) is no different.
We believe that when used responsibly, ethically and effectively, AI is a beneficial tool to augment, not replace, human-led inquiry. Exploration is an inherently human endeavor that requires going out into the physical world to translate curiosity into discovery.
By using AI to supplement and complement human work, the National Geographic Explorers are driving innovation forward. New tools are helping them synthesize data and ultimately make discoveries and breakthroughs with the potential to decode the mysteries of our planet and beyond, from deep human history to deep seas to deep space. We encourage the use of new tools to extend the spirit of inquiry and exploration into a new era, as long as humans remain firmly in control.
At the same time, we refuse to allow anything to erode the commitment to integrity, accuracy and public trust that have been core to the National Geographic Society since our inception. That means any use of AI comes with important guardrails.
Most critically, we insist on transparency. Across our storytelling, education and scientific work, we apply strict ethical boundaries and maintain a commitment to empirical accuracy, ensuring our published work remains an authentic witness to the world. Our guidelines are particularly stringent when it comes to any interventions, enhancements or manipulations to our published images. Any use of AI by the National Geographic Society or our Explorers must be disclosed.
In our commercial, experiential and marketing spaces — such as immersive museum exhibits and design layouts — our teams have the creative flexibility to use advanced digital tools for scale, immersion and creative expression, provided these tools never mislead the public regarding core realities. As technology evolves, we continue to stand for authenticity, as we always have.
We also embrace technology that helps people verify what is real. As early members of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), we use Content Credentials — a digital “nutrition label” that can carry critical information about the origins of a piece of online content — to establish a secure, tamper-evident digital paper trail. Furthermore, to ensure equitable standards across our global community, we provide these verification tools directly to our Explorers, ensuring that safeguarding content integrity never becomes a financial barrier to human storytelling. At its core, provenance is about respecting creators and the intellectual property they make. By showing where content comes from, we ensure they get credit for their work.
The National Geographic Society strives to be a model of responsible social and environmental business practices. We recognize the use of AI technologies can increase energy use, water consumption, and carbon emissions. Sustainability has always been fundamental to our mission and we are committed to being highly intentional in how we use AI as we navigate the new uses of technology with the potential environmental impacts.
As an organization that embraces innovation and pushes the boundaries of knowledge, we’re excited to explore the ways AI can support our work, not replace it. An algorithm can’t trek through the Amazon or spend six months in the Serengeti to capture the nuance of animal behavior. AI can synthesize existing information, but it takes human intelligence to discover new information to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.