AIPM 1.0 Specification
Published May 2026 · Status: Current · License: Open
Overview
The AI Provenance Mark (AIPM) is an open, vendor-neutral specification for disclosing AI involvement in content creation. It borrows successful design patterns from Creative Commons, accessibility icons, and other URI-resolved standards.
AIPM is intentionally minimal. Version 1.0 establishes a durable foundation for transparent AI disclosure that can expand responsibly as norms and technology evolve.
Core Concept
AIPM combines three elements:
- A stable visual mark ("AIPM") intended to be embedded in or near a QR code.
- A QR code that resolves to a browser-accessible HTTPS URI.
- A human- and machine-readable provenance record describing AI involvement, encoded in URL query parameters.
The visual mark remains stable over time. Capability and detail evolve through versioned
metadata (e.g., v=1.0).
Resolution Model
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| QR payload | HTTPS URL only (mobile-safe) |
| Resolution target | Static HTML page |
| Path convention | /1.0/aipm/ |
| Metadata encoding | URL query parameters |
| Hosting requirement | Static hosting only; no backend required |
This model ensures reliability across iOS and Android QR scanners, long-term durability, and alignment with established web standards.
URL Structure
A canonical AIPM 1.0 provenance URL follows this pattern:
https://<host>/1.0/aipm/?v=1.0&model=<model>&role=<role>&date=<date>&ctx=<context>
Example:
https://ai-pm.pages.dev/1.0/aipm/?v=1.0&model=Claude+3.7+Sonnet&role=prompted%2Breviewed&date=2026-05-01&ctx=Blog+post+draft
Metadata Fields
| Param | Description | Required | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
v |
AIPM specification version | Yes | 1.0 |
model |
AI model or system name. May be omitted for policy reasons. | Recommended | GPT-4o, Claude 3.7 Sonnet |
role |
The human creator's role in the content generation process. See Role Values below. | Yes | prompted+reviewed |
date |
ISO 8601 date of AI-assisted generation. | Recommended | 2026-05-01 |
ctx |
Short description of the content's purpose or context. URL-encoded. | Optional | Blog+post+draft |
Role Values
The role parameter describes the human creator's level and type of involvement.
Defined values for AIPM 1.0:
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
prompted |
Human wrote the prompt; AI generated the content with no further human modification. |
reviewed |
AI generated content; human reviewed it for accuracy or appropriateness before use. |
edited |
AI generated content; human made substantive edits before final use. |
prompted+reviewed |
Human wrote the prompt and reviewed the AI output before use. |
prompted+edited |
Human wrote the prompt and made substantive edits to the AI output. |
supervised |
AI worked with greater autonomy under human oversight and direction. |
The Visual Mark
The AIPM visual mark is a bordered rectangle containing the text "AIPM" in a monospaced typeface. It is intended to appear adjacent to or embedded within a QR code so that the badge is recognizable even before scanning.
The mark does not change between versions. Version information is
carried only by the metadata (v= param), not by the mark itself.
This ensures all AIPM QR codes remain visually consistent over time.
Versioning Strategy
AIPM uses a path-based versioning model for the specification site itself, so that each version is a fully self-contained, frozen snapshot:
/1.0/— AIPM 1.0 specification and tools (this document)/2.0/— Future versions, when published
QR codes generated under 1.0 will continue to resolve correctly indefinitely,
because the /1.0/aipm/ path is never modified after publication.
Future versions may add prompt hashes, cryptographic signatures, external references, or verification layers without breaking existing QR codes.
Hosting Requirements
AIPM is designed for static global hosting such as Cloudflare Pages or GitHub Pages. Requirements:
- HTTPS by default
- Global CDN availability
- No runtime services or databases
- Standard HTML file serving
The provenance display page reads metadata from URL params entirely client-side, using vanilla JavaScript with no external dependencies.
Design Goals
- Mobile-safe QR scanning
- Human-readable first, machine-readable friendly
- No vendor lock-in or proprietary app requirements
- Minimal cognitive and technical overhead for creators
- Suitable for institutional, academic, journalistic, and public contexts
- Durable: QR codes that work today must work in ten years
JSON Representation
The same metadata may be represented as a JSON object. This is informational; AIPM 1.0 does not require JSON hosting.
{
"aipm": "1.0",
"model": "Claude 3.7 Sonnet",
"role": "prompted+reviewed",
"date": "2026-05-01",
"ctx": "Blog post draft"
}