AI Use Policy | Sustainovate

Effective: 17 June 2026 · Sustainovate AS & OceanBox B.V.

AI is central to how Sustainovate works — not as a shortcut, but as a structured collaborator. This page explains what we use, how we use it, and what that means for the people we work with.

What AI we use

We use large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI systems in our day-to-day work. This includes:

Drafting, structuring, and reviewing proposals and project documentation
Processing and summarising scientific and technical literature
Designing and building data pipelines and automated workflows
Strategic research, landscape analysis, and partner profiling
Internal operations: scheduling, correspondence, knowledge management

The primary models we use are developed by Anthropic (Claude) and OpenAI (GPT). We operate our own AI agent infrastructure through the Corvue platform.

Human oversight — always

Every AI output that leaves Sustainovate is reviewed by Mark Ybema before it is shared with clients, partners, or funders. AI assists with structure, research, and drafting. Decisions, judgements, and final responsibility remain human.

We do not use AI to make autonomous decisions that affect third parties — hiring, credit, legal status, or similar — without explicit human review and sign-off.

When you interact with AI from us

If we deploy an AI assistant, chatbot, or automated agent as part of a project or service, we will always make this clear at the moment of interaction. You will not unknowingly communicate with an AI system while believing you are speaking with a person.

AI-generated content in documents, proposals, or reports we produce will not be presented as entirely human-authored where the AI contribution is material.

Data and confidentiality

Client data, project details, and proprietary information are never submitted to external AI models without explicit agreement. Where we process sensitive information with AI assistance, we use private infrastructure or models with strong data protection commitments.

We do not train AI models on client data.

AI literacy within Sustainovate

Everyone who works at or for Sustainovate and uses AI systems has a working understanding of how those systems function, what their limitations are, and what risks they carry. This is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time certification.

We apply this same standard when designing AI workflows for clients — ensuring that the people who will use or be affected by those systems understand them sufficiently to work with them responsibly.

EU AI Act compliance. This policy reflects our obligations under Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the EU AI Act), specifically Article 4 (AI literacy) and Article 50 (transparency for AI-generated content and AI systems interacting with natural persons). Sustainovate operates in the minimal to limited risk categories under the Act's risk-based framework. We do not deploy high-risk AI systems as defined in Annex III of the regulation. This statement serves as our documented compliance record under Article 4.

What this means for working with us

AI makes us faster and more thorough. It does not replace the domain expertise, structural thinking, and accountability that Sustainovate brings to every engagement. The work you receive reflects 20 years of applied experience in marine systems — AI extends that reach, it does not substitute for it.