Azerbaijan’s updated Code of Ethics for Journalists adds a new principle on AI use, including checks on AI-generated material and disclosure to audiences. The guidance also says AI must not replace journalists’ professional judgement or editorial independence.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The Azerbaijan Press Council says amendments adopted at the 9th Congress of Journalists on 16 October added an “Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence” principle to the code. Trend.Az reports that it encourages media organisations to set internal rules for AI’s purpose and limits, verification procedures and editorial responsibility, and to train staff.
The code says AI-generated content should be checked for accuracy and sources before publication, with responsibility resting on the journalist or media organisation. It also calls for protecting copyright, personal data and confidential sources, respecting human dignity, preventing discrimination and telling audiences when AI products are used. The amendments include separate provisions on privacy and personal information.
Why it matters
This is a concrete attempt to turn “use AI responsibly” into newsroom practice: verify the material, be clear with audiences and keep a person accountable. Those are useful standards as AI tools move from novelty to routine editing and production.
The code is ethical guidance, not evidence that every newsroom has adopted these procedures or that they are enforced. Its value will depend on whether organisations build the promised rules into daily work, rather than leaving them in a document that only gets opened during a standards meeting.
Our read
The strongest part is the insistence that AI cannot take over editorial judgement, while responsibility stays with the people publishing the work. That is less glamorous than a clever new tool, but rather more useful when something goes wrong. Disclosure and verification are sensible starting points; the test is whether outlets apply them consistently, including when the AI-assisted material looks convincing.
What to watch
- Whether Azerbaijani media organisations publish internal AI policies.
- How outlets disclose AI use and verify generated material.
- Whether the Press Council reports on how the revised code is applied.
Discussion spark: Should news organisations be expected to disclose every use of AI, or only when it materially shapes published content?
Sources and evidence
- Azerbaijan updates journalists’ ethics code to regulate AI use and privacy – Trend.Az (26 October 2026, 06:16 UTC)
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