[OAUTH-WG] Guidelines for AI-Assisted Contributions to the OAuth WG
Rifaat Shekh-Yusef <rifaat.s.ietf@gmail.com> Sun, 06 September 2026 13:33 UTC
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Date: Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:33:27 -0400
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Subject: [OAUTH-WG] Guidelines for AI-Assisted Contributions to the OAuth WG
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All, We have observed an increasing volume of emails, mailing-list discussions, and documents submitted to the OAuth WG that appear to be largely AI-generated. We recognize that AI tools can be useful and, in many cases, entirely appropriate. For example, using such tools to check spelling and grammar, improve wording, or enhance clarity is a legitimate use. This is particularly helpful in our international community, where many participants are not native English speakers. Additionally, using AI as a sounding board to challenge ideas or refine problem formulations is a valuable way to support your own thinking. However, there is a critical distinction between using AI to improve your own work and using it to perform substantive technical thinking on your behalf. Participants must be able to explain, defend, and take responsibility for the technical content they contribute to the OAuth WG. Submitting large volumes of unvetted AI-generated content places an unfair burden on other participants, who are expected to spend significant time reviewing and evaluating material that may lack deep understanding. Like everyone else, WG members have limited time and attention. If this trend continues, the increased noise risks causing people to disengage from discussion threads and documents altogether, which would negatively impact legitimate contributions as well. *Therefore, we ask all WG participants to reflect carefully on how they use AI tools. * *Please use them to support your work, not to replace your own technical reasoning and judgment.* The chairs will continue to monitor the mailing list and draft submissions. Should this trend persist, we may need to take appropriate action, including restricting the posting privileges of participants whose automated content disrupts the group’s workflow. Let us work together to keep this group a welcoming and productive space for thoughtful, technically sound, and constructive discussion. Regards, Rifaat & Hannes