AI Policy

Updates

April 20, 2023
According to "The Economist" magazine, "The transition into a world filled with computer programs capable of human levels of conversation and language comprehension and superhuman powers of data assimilation and pattern recognition has just begun." The article goes on to discuss how these changes might occur and possbile affects on us in the near and distance future. One example mentioned in the article are "Programmers on GitHub, an open-source coding site, are now using a gpt-4-based co-pilot to produce nearly half their code". "How AI Could change computing, culture and the course of history. The Economist/Essay, Apr 20, 2023"
I also recently, looked at a bookkeeping website in the US, botkeeper.com which fully automates the bookkeeping process. While botkeeper.com is not available in Canada, QuickBooks Online is! And Intuit is working hard to streamline the data entry process and make it more automated. Eventually, I, and many others expect the need for "bookkeepers" as data enty clerks to disappear, or at least to play a much smaller role in the accounting process. However, there will always be a need for individuals that understand the software opertaing systems, as well as the government rules and regulations that affect any business. Having said this, I expect that someday, acceptance of AI as a normal part of our life will take place, and this AI policy may no longer be required. In the mean time, I hope it gives you confidence in the work that we do for our students and clients.

Introduction

In today's world things chnage so quickly that it's hard to keep up sometimes. And wtih the onset of ChatGPT it's hard to know if you can trust what you see, or read, or who... To that end, I have implemented an "AI Policy" so our readers can feel more confident in the information they read on our blogs, posts, articles, and on this website. This AI Policy will undoubtedly change with time, but for now, this is my position for using AI within my business:
First, what is AI?
"AI-generated content refers to any type of content, such as text, images, videos, or audio, that is created or generated by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms or systems, without direct human involvement in the content creation process. AI-generated content can take many different forms, ranging from simple chatbot responses to complex news articles, blog posts, or even entire books. AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data, learn patterns, and generate content that mimics human writing or creative expression. AI-generated content can also be personalized to suit individual preferences or contexts. While AI-generated content has many potential benefits, such as increased efficiency, scalability, and personalization, it also raises a number of ethical and legal concerns, such as the potential for bias, inaccuracies, and copyright infringement. It is important to carefully consider these issues when using or producing AI-generated content, and to ensure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place to mitigate any risks." Source: ChatGPT, Apr 13, 2023
Transparency
As the owner and President of JB Training Services Inc, and its sister company, Bernal Business Services Inc, I am committed to being transparent about when we use AI (such as ChatGPT) in our blogs, books, articles, website, advertising, etc. This “transparency” will be evident in the following ways:
  • We may use AI (including ChatGPT) for research purposes or to give us ideas. We may or may not provide any notice of this in our blogs, books, articles, website, advertising, etc., depending on how heavily we use AI for this purpose.
  • If we copy the exact wording of AI, and use it in our blogs, books, articles, website, advertising, etc, we will provide the following notice:
  • For 3 consecutive sentences or less, we will provide a “link” to the end of the document which provides the source of the information. The link will look like, or be similar, to this “AI”
  • For 4 or more sentences, or complete paragraphs (including those that have 3 or less sentences), we will site the source and the date of our search.
  • We may contract others to do some of the work for us (such as Facebook and LinkedIn posts and advertising). While we cannot determine, or control, if and when they use AI (such as ChatGPT) in their creations, we do review and approve any final work that is posted or published in our name. We will also create a policy option for our suppliers and let you know if they accept it or not. The policy option will include the following:
  • Acknowledgement of whether they “do” or “do not” use AI in any of the work they do for us
  • A section on our AI Policy page for our supplies who are subject to this policy
  • If we, or they, become aware of any “Copywrite Infringement”, corrective action will be taken as soon as possible, preferably within 2 business days.
Accuracy & Reliability
We take accuracy and reilablity seriously. Any information of a specific nature will be fact checked against other sources where possible. If there are no other sources available, and I still choose to publish the information, you will be advised of this in some way (this may be a footnote, or a comment in brackets where possible).
Disclaimer
As mentioned above, we strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of our writings. However, we disclaim any warrenties (expressed or implied), or merchantability for any particular purpose. JB Training Services Inc, Bernal Business Services Inc, and Jacqueline Bernal shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. The information presented in our publications, including on this website and in our blogs, is compiled from sources beleived to be accurate. The information we present is not intended to replace or substitute professional advice. Furthermore, our expertise is in bookkeeping, and teaching others. We are not "Accountants", and as such we are legally prohibited from providing "accounting advice" (as is any other "bookkeeper"). Specifically, the "CHARTERED PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS ACT" of Alberta defines "accounting services" to include "...summarization, analysis, advice or counsel about or interpretation of accounting matters, but does not include (i) bookkeeping, or (ii) any accounting service that is performed incidentally by a provider whose primary occupation is not accounting:" Chartered Professional Accountants Act, SA 2014, c C-10.2 Definitions - section 1(b) However, as a top quality bookkeeper, it is our job to be aware of the rules and regulations that guide our work. This includes knowing government rules and regulations such as:
  • what are tax-deductible expenses?
  • how do we record them properly?
  • how does GST/HST, and other taxes work?
  • what is GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)?
  • and more...
This disclaimer applies to our AI Policy and any other work we do.
Review & Update
We commit to regularly reviewing and updating our AI Policy and any other items we consider significant. We welcome imput from others as well.
Our Trusted Supplies that are subject to this policy...
In development....