Published March 2026 — Clarifying how AI tools are utilized, reviewed, and documented across the project.
This section highlights our beliefs on AI, and what has changed since the beginning.
We strongly and firmly believe in ethical usage of AI, meaning only utilizing it for the great good of humanity, and to better our lives where it can help. We also believe in sustainable usage, and that it should be handled with care. We believe in double checking, fact checking, and verifying sources before using anything given from AI. We very much understand the importance of maintaining the human aspect that oversees everything, and communicating with team members before making big decisions.
At the beginning of our project we were not familiar with building a website, so we utilized Claude. As we grew and learned, we recognized that we don't need to utilize a corporate model and instead found a way to use a local model. We made this switch because it was able to get the job done correctly, and allowed us to keep the usage of AI sustainable and safe.
We do not believe AI should handle sensitive data, nor will we utilize AI to deal with this type of data. We do not believe in using AI for any generative art or photos. Our ideas and content are created in our own words. AI is not running our project as an agent, nor making decisions for us.
This section includes all of the sections we used regular corporate model AI for.
A local LLM (large language mode) is a self-hosted version of AI, meaning it is run solely on our own computers. No data goes outside of the AI, and the usage does not support and corporate models or feed into their data. We went this route as creating parts of our website requires advanced knowledge, which we currently do not have.
Here is a list of what we did with the corporate model at the beginning when we utilized it.
Used to create the layout, design, and style of the website.
Used AI softwares to create transcripts and summaries of interviews.
Used to make first draft of important learning content and topics, and proof reading. This was not creating all the learning content with AI, but using a draft to organize important topics, and make it into our own words.
This section describes our current usage of llm's, and why we decide to make that decision.
A local model is super efficient in terms of what it can do. We picked a local model as we do not have to pay for, support, or feed data into the corporate models who generally do not practice under good ethics. The local model is always available, private, accurate, and safe to use.
The local AI is used for website layouts, delegating different tasks like creating transcripts and summaries for interviews, and to assist with proof reading. We do not rely on it to create our content for us and make decisions
We respect your privacy. The WV Clarity Project does not track, sell, or share personal data. Any information you choose to provide (such as through a contact form) is used solely for communication related to this project.
The WV Clarity Project is committed to accountability for all West Virginians regardless of party or institution. All candidates and incumbents are invited to interview. Candidates are asked about their plans and goals. Incumbents are additionally asked about their record in office. All participants receive a similar structured format and fact-checked summary. Those who decline or do not respond are documented as such. We do not speak for any party, candidate, or corporation.
The WV Clarity Project is committed to making our website accessible and usable for everyone, including people with disabilities. We aim to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA and continuously improve our site. If you experience any accessibility issues or have suggestions, please fill out our contact form.