Our Stance on AI in
Creative Writing
Writing Crucible is built to keep authors in charge. AI should amplify your craft, never replace it. Here's how we use AI to support real writers.
100% Optional
AI tools are strictly opt-in. Write purely manually with our suite of tools if you prefer.
Total Privacy
We never store your API keys in plain text, and we never save or log your AI prompts.
No Training
Your story is yours. Your manuscript is NEVER used to train AI models. Period.
Our Philosophy on AI in Creative Work
Human Creativity First
We believe that the most resonant stories are born from human experience, emotion, and insight. Writing is an art form defined by the unique voice of the author. We design our software to protect and amplify that voice rather than replace it.
AI is a Tool, Not the Author
We view Artificial Intelligence as a utility. It helps organize thoughts or overcome creative blocks, but it is not a replacement for the writer. It is simply another instrument in the toolbox, no different than a dictionary or thesaurus.
The Final Prose is Yours
We hold a strong conviction that the final manuscript should be written by a human. Readers turn to books to connect with another human mind. The prose is the domain of the author, not the algorithm.
Your Work, Your Choice
We include AI capabilities because they are useful utilities, but they are strictly optional. We provide the tools, but we do not dictate how they are used. We do not monitor your content or enforce our preferences on your workflow.
How We Implement AI
We utilize a "Bring Your Own Key" architecture. We do not resell AI services or act as a middleman for your data. Instead, you plug in your own API key directly from the provider. This ensures you maintain full control over your costs, your usage limits, and your legal relationship with the AI company.
You choose which model suits your needs. Writing Crucible currently supports integration with OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, and OpenRouter. If you trust one provider over another, or simply prefer a specific model's style, the choice is entirely yours.
When you use an AI feature, we practice strict data minimization. We do not upload your entire manuscript to the AI provider. Instead, our system constructs a precise prompt containing only the relevant scene context, character traits, and style settings required for that specific task. We send exactly what is needed to ensure continuity, and nothing more.
Writing Crucible is an independent platform. We do not partner with AI companies, nor do we sell, lease, or share user data with them. While we securely store your manuscript on our servers to ensure your work is saved and accessible to you, that data never leaves our ecosystem unless you explicitly send it to an AI provider via your own API key.
We do not use your writing to train AI models. Because we are not affiliated with the AI providers, we have no incentive or mechanism to feed your work into their datasets. Regarding the AI providers themselves, while commercial API agreements often offer stricter privacy guarantees than free accounts, policies vary. We encourage you to review the specific data usage and training terms of your chosen provider to ensure they align with your privacy needs.
Where AI Appears in the App
Cruci: Your In-App Support Guide
"Cruci" is our built-in support agent designed to help you navigate Writing Crucible. She acts as a digital employee, available 24/7 to answer questions about features, settings, or interface navigation.
- Privacy: Cruci is strictly a support tool. She does not have access to your manuscripts, characters, or world-building data.
- Cost: Writing Crucible covers the cost of these interactions; no API key is required.
- Data retention: Chat logs with Cruci are stored for exactly 48 hours for internal audit, then permanently deleted.
Prose Generation
We offer prose generation as a "creative unblocker." This feature allows you to generate short bursts of text based on your current scene context and requires your own API key.
- The intent: Visualize a scene, test a tone, or break through writer's block—a sandbox for ideas.
- The philosophy: Not intended to auto-generate chapters. It's a spark to get you moving, not an engine to drive the car.
In-Line Editorial Tools
For granular control, we offer a suite of targeted editorial commands that function like a high-powered critique partner. These features require your API key.
- Clarity: Refines confusing sentence structures.
- Tighten: Removes fluff and redundancy.
- Lengthen: Expands on descriptions for better pacing.
- Show, Don't Tell: Converts passive summary into active imagery.
- Active Voice: Strengthens weak or passive verb construction.
- Improve Dialogue: Polishes character speech to sound more natural and distinct.
Data Privacy & Security
Secure Key Encryption
Your API keys are immediately encrypted by our backend before being stored. Our system is designed so that no one can ever view your raw API key. It remains encrypted at rest and is only decrypted to transmit a request to your chosen provider.
Ephemeral Processing
Our servers act as a secure relay. Data flows through our system to the provider and back to you, but it is never "at rest" on our processing servers. We act as a blind tunnel, ensuring connectivity without retention.
Zero Retention Policy
We maintain a Zero Retention policy for AI interactions. We do not log the prompts you send, and we do not archive the responses you receive. Unless you choose to save the text into your manuscript, it leaves no trace.
Transport Encryption
We utilize industry-standard encryption for all data. Your manuscripts are encrypted at rest, and all traffic—between your device, our servers, and the AI providers—is actively protected via TLS.
Our Long-Term Principles
AI Remains Optional
We will never force AI into your workflow, nor will we gate essential writing tools behind AI usage. If you choose to write purely manually, Writing Crucible will remain a powerful home for your work.
No "Magic" Buttons
We build tools that assist, not automate. We will never develop features designed to auto-generate finished chapters. Our roadmap is focused on friction reduction, not replacing the act of writing.
Intentionality Above All
AI should never speak unless spoken to. Our tools will never interrupt your flow to offer unsolicited suggestions or rewrite your prose without your explicit command. You invoke the AI when you need it.
Human Feedback First
We believe the most valuable feedback comes from people. We will never attempt to replace the role of human beta readers with AI simulations, and will always prioritize genuine human connection.
Let's keep writers in charge
Have questions about how we use AI? Reach out, we're happy to answer any questions you have.