> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://rafeblandford.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# AI Provenance on rafeblandford.com
- URL: https://rafeblandford.com/ai-provenance/
- Published: 2026-06-15T13:58:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-06T21:01:25.000Z
- Description: Every post here carries a label saying how it was made — written by me, with AI, or AI-authored. Why that pattern matters, and how I draw the lines.
- Author: Rafe Blandford
- Tags: Notes, #human

Every post here on [rafeblandford.com](https://rafeblandford.com/) carries a small label saying how it was made: written by me, written with AI, or AI-authored. You can see it next to the tag labels at the top of every post and on the cards on the index pages. This, or something like it, is a pattern I expect to become much more widespread across content, not just code, in the next few years. 

The pragmatic classification test is simple: ***would this post still exist, recognisably in this form, without the AI?***

## Written by Rafe (Human-first)

Yes - basically unchanged. The thinking, the opinions and the words are mine. AI did mechanical things at most: a spellcheck, a “is this clear?”, or faster searching for references. The key principle: no generated prose or arguments.

## Written with AI (Collaboration)

Yes - but slower or worse. The ideas, opinions, and direction are mine; AI materially shaped the words or the structure. The thinking is mine, the execution shared. In practise, for most posts in this category, there are sections that are human-written, and others that are human-reviewed.

## AI-authored (AI-first)

No - it wouldn't exist. The bulk of the prose came from AI, working from my brief. I'm the editor and commissioner, not the author in the traditional sense. Most frequently, these are to document a project or a topic I've been working that I think is worthwhile sharing because others might be interested in it. Typically, these are born from things I've supplied significant context for, be it a working project, notes, or other input, so the human touch is present, it's just not primary.

🧠

****Why label it?**  
Because being transparent about how AI is used is the honest thing to do... and, increasingly, the authentic one. I work this way every day; showing it openly demonstrates the operating model rather than just describing it. The label is what makes AI-authored writing publishable here, not a constant "is this OK" and "what will people think" set of decision.

## Humans, Centaurs, and Cyborgs

This pushes on the different ways of working with AI. I've found it's useful to abstract into three broad categories: human, centaur, and cyborg. I've found it helps with thinking and explaining to others... but I would acknowledge that it's more like different modes along a continuous continuum - another example of adventures along the jagged frontier of AI.

![Human, Centaurs, Cyborgs visual illustration](https://rafeblandford.com/content/images/2026/06/hcc.png)

**Human / AI modes of operation (image generated using ChatGPT)*