Dubai has launched the world’s first classification system to identify the role of artificial intelligence in content creation. The Human–Machine Collaboration (HMC) framework introduces visual icons that show whether humans, machines, or a combination of both produced content.
Approved by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, the system aims to clarify authorship in research, writing, publishing, and design.
A New Global Standard for AI Transparency
The initiative responds to a growing challenge: distinguishing between human creativity and machine-generated work. “Distinguishing between human creativity and artificial intelligence has become a real challenge in light of today’s rapid technological advances,” said Sheikh Hamdan. “This calls for a new approach to recognise the growing role of intelligent machines. That’s why we launched the world’s first Human–Machine Collaboration Icons, a classification system that brings transparency to how research documents, publications, and content are created.”
He called on global researchers, publishers, designers, and content creators to adopt the system. All Dubai Government entities have also been instructed to implement the framework across their knowledge outputs.
Five Main Classifications, Nine Functional Roles
Developed by the Dubai Future Foundation, the HMC system uses a simple set of icons to indicate the level of AI involvement. These include:
- All Human: Fully created by a human
- Human Led: Produced by a human, with machine-assisted edits or enhancements
- Machine Assisted: A collaborative effort between human and machine
- Machine Led: Primarily created by a machine, with human oversight
- All Machine: Fully machine-generated content
In addition to these core icons, the framework includes nine optional sub-classifications. These help indicate the stage of collaboration, such as:
- Ideation
- Literature review
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Data interpretation
- Writing
- Translation
- Visuals
- Design
These icons can be applied across a range of formats, including text, images, and video.
Ethics, Disclosure, and a More Transparent Future
While the framework does not specify exact percentages for human or machine involvement, it supports responsible disclosure. This flexible system offers greater clarity in a digital era increasingly defined by automation and generative AI.
Dubai’s initiative sets a global benchmark for transparency in content creation. It encourages ethical AI use and helps readers, researchers, and decision-makers understand the true origin of content.
