AI Policy
AI means different things to different people, and many feel strongly about it. We want to be honest about how we use it at Zenso, where it fits in our work and where it doesn't.
- AI tools are part of how we work, and we're open about that.
- They are tools. The humans at Zenso still design, code and build our apps, and the vision behind each one is ours. We steer every part of it.
- We don't stop at functional. We shape, question and refine every app until it feels right.
- We're moving towards local models to reduce the environmental cost.
Where AI fits
Most of the work in shipping an app isn't the interesting part. It's boilerplate code and test scaffolding. It's converting files between formats, chasing the same bug across several platforms, writing build scripts and checking dozens of screens for the same layout fault.
That's mostly what we use AI for. It's one more tool next to our editors and compilers, and it gets through the repetitive jobs quickly so we can spend our time perfecting an app's core features and ensuring it feels great to use.
We're a small team, so this matters to us. Jobs that used to sit on the list for months get done, and our apps get more polish, testing and updates than we could manage by ourselves.
Handmade, with power tools
Think of a furniture maker. Some work only with hand tools. Their pieces can be beautiful, and we respect that, but each one takes a long time to craft. At the other end is the flat-pack factory, which is quick and cheap and not very interested in any one piece.
Most good furniture makers are somewhere in between. They use power tools for rough cutting and sanding, and spend their own time on the design, the joinery and the finish. Nobody thinks a table is less handmade because the boards were cut on a saw. The saw just gives the maker more time for the details.
That's where we want to be. AI does our rough cuts, and our time goes into the design and personality of each app. We care a great deal about these products, and nothing leaves the workshop until we're happy with it.
What stays with us
AI doesn't make our decisions. Product direction, design, features and priorities are set by us.
It doesn't ship anything on its own either. Nothing goes from a model straight to you. Every change is reviewed and tested by us before release, and a lot of it gets rewritten along the way.
And it doesn't replace the work itself. We still design, build, test and support every product ourselves. AI just helps us get there faster.
Our name on every app
If something's wrong in one of our apps, that's our responsibility. We stand behind everything we release, mistakes included.
Between us, we've been building software for decades. Our reputation comes from apps, products and systems that work, and from answering people when something goes wrong. New tools don't change any of that.
What worries us
We're broadly supportive of AI, but the concerns people raise about it are fair, and we share several of them.
- Large models use a lot of energy and water to train and run.
- AI makes mistakes, often confidently. This is a big part of why everything we ship is checked by a person.
- Many models were trained on people's work without their permission. That hasn't been resolved, and it bothers us too.
We've decided the benefits to our work are worth it, but we don't take these problems lightly.
What we're doing about it
- We're moving most of our work onto smaller models that run on our own machines, so we rely less on large data centres, and a good share of our power comes from the sun.
- For jobs we do often, we build our own tools and systems rather than asking a model every time. They're quicker to run and fully under our control.
- We pick the most efficient tool for each job. When a simple script will do, we use a script, and we keep AI for the work that really needs it.
Changes to this page
Our approach will change as the tools do, and we'll update this page when it does. It was last updated on 15 October 2026.
Talk to us
If you have questions or concerns about how we use AI, email us at mail@zenso.group. We're happy to talk about it.