AI & Synthetic Media Policy

Effective 13 May 2026 · Last updated 27 May 2026

Rules for AI-generated content, synthetic media, and artificially created or modified material on Circus.

1. What counts as AI-generated content

For the purpose of this policy, AI-generated content means any text, image, audio, or video that was produced in whole or in significant part by an artificial intelligence model, including:

Images, illustrations, or visual art generated by diffusion models (e.g. Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, DALL-E, or equivalents)
Text produced entirely or substantially by large language models without meaningful human authorship
Audio — including voice cloning, synthetic speech, or AI-generated music — produced without the genuine performance of a real person
Video generated or substantially altered by AI, including face-swapping, lip-syncing to generated audio, or full synthetic video generation

2. Prohibited synthetic media

The following uses of AI and synthetic media are prohibited on Circus in all circumstances:

Deepfakes of real, identifiable people that depict them saying or doing things they did not say or do, where the content is not clearly satirical or fictional
Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) — any synthetic sexual imagery featuring a real person without their documented consent
AI-generated sexual content featuring minors — this is zero-tolerance and will be reported to NCMEC and relevant authorities without exception
Synthetic media designed to impersonate a specific real person for the purpose of fraud, harassment, or reputational damage
AI-generated disinformation — content designed to appear as genuine news, official statements, or documented events that did not occur

3. Permitted AI use

The following uses of AI are permitted on Circus, provided they comply with the general content rules in the Content Guidelines:

Original creative work that uses AI generation as a tool
AI-assisted editing, enhancement, or post-production of human-created content, where AI plays a supporting rather than primary creative role
AI-generated art, music, writing, or video that does not depict real people in prohibited ways
Satire and commentary using synthetic media, provided it is unmistakably presented as fictional and does not violate other sections of this policy

4. Detection and enforcement

Circus uses automated detection systems to identify AI-generated content that violates this policy. These systems are imperfect and may produce false positives or negatives.

Where prohibited synthetic media is identified, action will be taken:

Content is removed immediately upon confirmation
The account may be suspended or permanently banned depending on severity
NCII and CSAM involving AI generation will be reported to the appropriate authorities and handled under our Law Enforcement cooperation process

5. Contact

For questions about this policy, contact safety@circus.app.

To report AI-generated content that violates this policy, use the in-app report function and select ‘Synthetic media / deepfake’ as the reason, or email safety@circus.app.