We Want Your Thoughts on AI in She Zine Mag
AI in creative spaces is messy. It sparks big feelings, strong opinions, and sometimes straight-up side-eye. At She Zine Mag, we don’t want to ignore the conversation — but we’re also careful about how, and how much, we use it.
That’s why we’re opening it up to you.
Are you using AI in your own work, or steering clear altogether? Do you think it has a place in independent media? We want to hear your thoughts, because your feedback will help guide how She Zine Mag approaches it.
How We Use AI
Our work is — and will always be — human-driven. Occasionally, we lean on AI for small, behind-the-scenes tasks:
-
Light editing support
-
SEO and keyword testing
-
Occasional brainstorming prompts
That’s it. Out of dozens of posts and pages, AI has touched only a handful in minor ways. It’s a utility in the background, not a presence in the foreground.
We see it as one tool on a long list of tools. Just like layout software, spellcheck, or image compression, it has a role — but never the starring one. Every feature, essay, and idea starts and ends with a human at the centre.
This choice is intentional. We want She Zine Mag to remain a place where real voices lead the way. We’re not interested in chasing trends, flooding the site with generic content, or outsourcing creativity to a machine. We are interested in staying honest about where these tools show up, even in small ways, and asking whether they’re worth the trade-offs.
Why It’s Complicated
Even in these limited roles, we know AI isn’t neutral. It has environmental costs (water, energy, carbon). It raises questions about creative ownership. And it’s driven by tech companies whose priorities don’t always align with communities like ours.
That’s why we’re keeping its role narrow — and why we’re being open about it. Transparency matters.
At the same time, we know ignoring the conversation doesn’t make it go away. AI is already built into search engines, social media feeds, and the creative software many of us use every day. Pretending it isn’t there would be dishonest. That’s why we believe it’s more powerful to talk openly about how it intersects with independent publishing — even if our own use is minimal.
We also believe there’s value in building literacy around it. Understanding what AI does and doesn’t do helps us protect what matters most: human creativity, cultural integrity, and feminist media made with care. By talking about it now, we hope to give readers more tools to navigate it in their own work and communities.
Why We’re Asking You
She Zine Mag is a collective project, and we don’t want to shape our approach in a vacuum.
-
Do you think light AI use for editing or SEO is acceptable?
-
Do you prefer a hard line of “no AI at all”?
-
Where do you draw the line between experimentation and overreach?
Tell us. Rant, reflect, or write us a manifesto. Whether you’re pro-AI, anti-AI, or somewhere tangled in between, we want your voice in the mix.
→ Send us your thoughts through the form below or email editor@shezinemag.com
→ Drop a comment or DM on socials @shezinemagazine
→ Selected responses may be published in a future feature — with full credit to you
Share Your Thoughts…
AXO (she/her) is a multidisciplinary creator, editor, and builder of feminist media ecosystems based in Toronto. She is the founder of She Zine Mag, Side Project Distro, BBLGM Club, and several other projects under the AXO&Co umbrella — each rooted in DIY culture, creative rebellion, and community care. Her work explores the intersection of craft, technology, and consciousness, with an emphasis on handmade ethics, neurodivergent creativity, and the politics of making. She is an advocate for accessible creativity and the power of small-scale cultural production to spark social change. Her practice merges punk, print, and digital media while refusing to separate the emotional from the practical. Above all, her work invites others to build creative lives that are thoughtful, defiant, and deeply handmade.
