Ethics Policy

Independence

Mindiam is editorially independent. Editorial decisions are made on their merits, not on commercial considerations. We do not accept paid coverage, sponsored placements framed as editorial, or copy approval from subjects of coverage.

Conflicts of interest

Mindiam runs a consulting business in addition to publishing. This creates two structural conflicts we manage explicitly:

• Affiliate revenue. Mindiam earns commissions on links to recommended tools. Editors are not informed of commission rates when scoring. Affiliate disclosure appears on every page that contains an affiliate link. Commissions never determine inclusion or verdict.
• Consulting clients.Mindiam consults for clients in the AI space. We disclose existing or recent client relationships inline whenever we cover a client's product, competitor, or regulatory environment. Founder Ben Rogers recuses from coverage of any active consulting engagement.

Gifts and freebies

We accept evaluation accounts and free trials from vendors when offered, because it's necessary to test products at parity. We do not accept:

• Paid travel, accommodation, or hospitality from subjects of coverage
• Equity, options, or revenue-share deals from companies we cover editorially
• Gifts above nominal value (AUD$50)

Where a gift is offered and accepted (e.g. a vendor sends a small product sample), it's disclosed in the relevant piece.

Source protection

Sources speaking on background or under guarantee of confidentiality are protected. Their identity is known only to the writing journalist and the editor handling the piece. Records that could identify them (notes, recordings, communications) are stored on encrypted devices and destroyed when no longer needed for verification.

We will resist any external request to identify a confidential source, including subpoena requests, to the extent permitted by Australian law.

Anonymous sources

We use anonymous sources sparingly and only when:

• The source has direct, first-hand knowledge of the matter
• Public attribution would cause demonstrable harm
• The information is corroborated by at least one other source or document
• The editor approves the use of anonymity

We disclose the type of relationship the source has to the matter (e.g. “an executive at a competing firm”) without identifying them.

AI usage in editorial

Generative AI is used as a research and drafting assistant. The full AI usage policy is in our editorial standards. The principles are:

• Every AI-assisted piece passes through human editorial review and approval before publication.
• AI-generated content is disclosed inline when materially used (e.g. AI-generated images, AI-generated comparison tables from our own data).
• AI is never used to fabricate quotes, sources, statistics, or expert opinions.
• AI is never used to write reviews of products without first-hand human testing.

Diversity

We seek diverse sources and perspectives, particularly in coverage of AI's impact on workers, regulated industries, and communities underrepresented in technology coverage. When we publish a list, ranking, or roundup, we audit the source mix and disclose methodology.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a firing offence. Quoted material is always attributed. Heavily borrowed structures, even when paraphrased, are credited.

Reporting concerns

Concerns about ethical conduct — by Mindiam staff, contributors, or the publication itself — should be raised with ethics@mindiam.com. Concerns about specific pieces follow the corrections process.