docs: Various updates related to the AI policy

I was reminded by Eric Enderton that we should mention and cross
reference the recently-added AI policy docs in other places, since
it can easily be overlooked now, buried in the docs directory.

* Mention it in the pull request template's checklist.
* In the CONTRIBUTING guide.
* Briefly mention in the main README in the list of important
  documentation for developers.
* A few very minor touch-ups and wordsmithing in other areas, no
  substantive changes.

Signed-off-by: Larry Gritz <lg@larrygritz.com>

Author: lgritz

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

@@ -30,10 +30,12 @@ instructions!
 <!-- Put an 'x' in the boxes as you complete the checklist items -->
 
 - [ ] **I have read the guidelines** on [contributions](https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) and [code review procedures](https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/blob/main/docs/dev/CodeReview.md).
+- [ ] **I have read the [Policy on AI Coding Assistants](https://github.com/AcademySoftwareFoundation/OpenImageIO/blob/main/docs/dev/AI_Policy.md)**
+  and if I used AI coding assistants, I have an `Assisted-by: TOOL / MODEL`
+  line in the pull request description above.
 - [ ] **I have updated the documentation** if my PR adds features or changes
   behavior.
-- [ ] **I am sure that this PR's changes are tested somewhere in the
-  testsuite**.
+- [ ] **I am sure that this PR's changes are tested in the testsuite**.
 - [ ] **I have run and passed the testsuite in CI** *before* submitting the
   PR, by pushing the changes to my fork and seeing that the automated CI
   passed there. (Exceptions: If most tests pass and you can't figure out why

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0 -->
+<!-- Copyright Contributors to the OpenImageIO Project. -->
+
+
 Contributing to OpenImageIO
 ===========================
 
@@ -70,6 +74,26 @@ If confidentiality precludes a public question or issue for any reason, you
 may contact us privately at [security@openimageio.org](security@openimageio.org).
 
 
+Policy on AI Tools
+------------------
+
+Please read our [Policy on AI Coding Assistants](docs/dev/AI_Policy.md)
+before contributing or particpating in the project in any way mediated by "AI"
+assistants.
+
+High-level summary:
+- Human must always be in the loop, and is the responsible party for
+  the contents of a PR (including fully understanding and being able
+  to explain, defend, and modify it in response to review comments).
+- Interact with the project and community yourself, not by agent.
+- Disclose what tools you used and how. At a minimum, we require an
+  "Assisted-by: TOOL/MODEL" line in the commit comments and PR description.
+- Don't waste maintainer's time with low quality PRs.
+
+Please do read the whole [Policy on AI Coding Assistants](docs/dev/AI_Policy.md)
+for all the details.
+
+
 Contributor License Agreement (CLA) and Intellectual Property
 -------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -230,33 +254,33 @@ repository. The protocol is like this:
 your own repository on GitHub, and then clone it to get a repository on your
 local machine.
 
-1. Edit, compile, and test your changes. Run clang-format (see the
+2. Edit, compile, and test your changes. Run clang-format (see the
 instructions on coding style below).
 
-1. Push your changes to your fork (each unrelated pull request to a separate
+3. Push your changes to your fork (each unrelated pull request to a separate
 "topic branch", please).
 
-1. Make a "pull request" on GitHub for your patch.
+4. Make a "pull request" on GitHub for your patch.
 
-2. If your patch will induce a major compatibility break, or has a design
+5. If your patch will induce a major compatibility break, or has a design
 component that deserves extended discussion or debate among the wider OIIO
 community, then it may be prudent to email oiio-dev pointing everybody to
 the pull request URL and discussing any issues you think are important.
 
-1. All pull requests automatically launch CI jobs on GitHub Actions to
+6. All pull requests automatically launch CI jobs on GitHub Actions to
 ensure that the build completes and that the tests suite runs correctly, for
 a variety of platform, compiler, library, and flag combinations. The status
 of the CI tests for your PR will be displayed on the GitHub PR page. We will
 not accept PRs that don't build cleanly or pass the existing testsuite.
 
-1. The reviewer will look over the code and critique on the "comments" area.
+7. The reviewer will look over the code and critique on the "comments" area.
 Reviewers may ask for changes, explain problems they found, congratulate the
 author on a clever solution, etc. But until somebody says "LGTM" (looks good
 to me), the code should not be committed. Sometimes this takes a few rounds
 of give and take. Please don't take it hard if your first try is not
 accepted. It happens to all of us.
 
-1. After approval, one of the senior developers (with commit approval to the
+8. After approval, one of the senior developers (with commit approval to the
 official main repository) will merge your fixes into the main branch.
 
 Please see the [Code Review](docs/dev/CodeReview.md) document for more

README.md

@@ -144,6 +144,8 @@ pull request (PR) mechanism.
   description of the major classes and their relationships.
 * [CONTRIBUTING](CONTRIBUTING.md) has detailed instructions about the
   development process.
+* [AI Policy](docs/dev/AI_Policy.md) decribes our policies on AI coding
+  assistance tools.
 * [ROADMAP](docs/ROADMAP.md) is a high-level overview of the current
   development priorities for the next annual release, expected in September,
   2024.

docs/dev/AI_Policy.md

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-Proposed OpenImageIO Policy on AI Coding Assistants
-===================================================
+Policy on AI Coding Assistants
+==============================
 
 - Initial policy merged 23-Mar-2026
 
@@ -8,11 +8,12 @@ Use of "AI coding assistants" is permitted on this project, with the following
 guidelines and principles.
 
 Summary of our core values:
-- Human always in the loop and is the responsible party.
-- You're still on the hook for fully understanding and standing behind what
-  you submit.
+- Human must always be in the loop, and is the responsible party for
+  the contents of a PR (including fully understanding and being able
+  to explain, defend, and modify it in response to review comments).
 - Interact with the project and community yourself, not by agent.
-- Disclose what tools you used and how.
+- Disclose what tools you used and how. At a minimum, we require an
+  "Assisted-by: TOOL/MODEL" line in the commit comments and PR description.
 - Don't waste maintainer's time with low quality PRs.
 
 The long version:
@@ -155,5 +156,4 @@ Our policy has been informed and inspired by the following efforts in other comm
 - [Linux Foundation policy on Generative AI](https://www.linuxfoundation.org/legal/generative-ai)
 - [Rust policy on rejecting burdensome PRs](https://github.com/rust-lang/compiler-team/issues/893)
 - The METR paper [Measuring the Impact of Early-2025 AI on Experienced Open-Source Developer Productivity](https://metr.org/blog/2025-07-10-early-2025-ai-experienced-os-dev-study/)
-
-
+- [GitHub Blog: Rethinking open source mentorship in the AI era](https://github.blog/open-source/maintainers/rethinking-open-source-mentorship-in-the-ai-era/)