add AI statements (#1007)

clewis7 · web-flow · commit 6ec3c9caf183 · 2026-02-28T22:12:07.000-05:00
* add AI statements

* add more contrib details
diff --git a/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md b/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
@@ -87,6 +87,13 @@ Standards for behavior in the fastplotlib community are detailed in the Code of
 Conduct above. Participants in our community should uphold these standards
 in all their interactions and help others to do so as well (see next section).
 
+# AI statement 
+
+The fastplotlib project welcomes contributions by everyone. While we recognize that LLMs may be useful, at our core, we are a small team of developers who enjoy discussing code written by other humans.
+As such, our preference is that contributions are written without the use of AI. 
+
+Please see our [Contributing Guide](https://github.com/fastplotlib/fastplotlib/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for more specific details on AI usage in fastplotlib.
+
 
 # Reporting guidelines
 
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -2,27 +2,70 @@
 
 `fastplotlib` is a next-generation plotting library built on top of the `pygfx` rendering engine that leverages modern 
 GPU hardware and new graphics APIs to build large-scale scientific visualizations. We welcome and encourage contributions
-from everyone! :smile: 
+from everyone! :smile:
 
-This guide explains how to contribute: if you have questions about the process, please 
+The rest of this guide explains how to contribute; if you have questions about the process, please 
 reach out on [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/fastplotlib/fastplotlib/discussions).
 
 > **_NOTE:_** If you are already familiar with contributing to open-source software packages, 
-> please check out the [quick guide](#contributing-quick-guide)!
+> please check out the [Quick Guide](#contributing-quick-guide)!
 
 ## General Guidelines
 
 Developers are encouraged to contribute to various areas of development. This could include the addition of new features (e.g. 
 graphics or selector tools), bug fixes, or the addition of new examples to the [examples gallery](https://www.fastplotlib.org/ver/dev/_gallery/index.html). 
-Enhancements to documentation and the overall readability of the code are also greatly appreciated. 
+Enhancements to documentation and the overall readability of the code are also greatly appreciated. :)
 
 Feel free to work on any section of the code that you believe you can improve. More importantly, remember to thoroughly test all
 your classes and functions, and to provide clear, detailed comments within your code. This not only aids others in using the library,
 but also facilitates future maintenance and further development.
 
+If your PR will introduce **significant** changes, or new features that are not in our Roadmap, please open an 
+Issue describing your proposed changes so we can assess whether the contribution would be accepted or not, and also so we can provide guidance 
+on how the proposed implementation can be tailored to conform with the rest of the codebase.
+
 For more detailed information about `fastplotlib` modules, including design choices and implementation details, visit the 
 [`For Develeopers`](https://www.fastplotlib.org/ver/dev/developer_notes/index.html) section of the package documentation.
 
+## AI Policy
+
+*This policy was adapted from `pygfx`, `scikit-learn`, and `SciPy`*
+
+While we recognize that LLMs may be useful, at our core, we are a small team of developers who enjoy discussing code written by other humans.
+As such, our preference is that contributions are written without the use of AI. 
+
+### Responsibility
+
+You are responsible for all the code that you contribute, including AI
+generated code. You must understand and be able to explain the submitted code as
+well as its relation to existing code. It is not acceptable to submit a
+PR for code that you cannot understand and explain yourself.
+
+### Disclosure
+
+You must disclose whether AI has been used to produce any code of your
+pull-request. If so, you must document which tool(s) have been used, how they
+were used, and specify what code or text is AI generated.
+
+### Copyright
+
+Contributors must own the copyright of any code submitted to `fastplotlib`. Code
+generated by AI may infringe on copyright and it is your responsibility to not
+infringe. We reserve the right to reject any pull requests where the copyright
+is in question.
+
+### Communication
+
+When interacting with developers (in discussions, issues, pull-requests,
+etc.) do not use AI to speak for you, except for translation or grammar editing.
+Human-to-human communication is essential for an open source community to
+thrive.
+
+### AI Agents
+
+The use of an AI agent that writes code and then submits a pull request
+autonomously is not permitted.
+
 ## Contributing to the code 
 
 ### Contribution workflow cycle
