Who, or what, are you talking to?
Five simple visual and audio signals that tell you whether you are dealing with a human, a machine, a hybrid of the two, or synthetic media. The official marks of IEEE 3152.
Three minutes on why this matters.
BOTMARK_EXPLAINER · 2:59 · EN CAPTIONS
Why agency disclosure matters, and how the marks work
Five marks. One question answered.
Each mark answers the same question: what is the agency behind this interaction, or this piece of media? All five come in three consistent styles.
Human Being
You are interacting with a real human being, unfiltered and unaltered.
human-being
AI Machine
You are interacting with an AI system acting on its own.
ai-machine
Human Interacting through an AI Machine
An AI is the interface, but a human being is directing what it says and does.
human-interacting-through-an-ai-machine
AI Machine Interacting through a Human
A human is the interface, but their words or actions are being guided by an AI.
ai-machine-interacting-through-a-human
Filter / Fictitious Construct / Augmented Reality
What you see or hear has been significantly altered or synthesised: filters, deepfakes, or AR.
filter
Drawn on a grid.
Designed for simplicity, familiarity, and friendliness, then drawn on a grid so they stay sharp at any scale. Disclosure should reassure, not alarm.
Not every interaction has a screen.
For phone calls, voice assistants, and audio media, IEEE 3152 defines audio marks: short, distinctive sounds that disclose the agency behind a voice. Press play.
Voiced disclosures
Where a spoken disclosure is preferable to a sound mark, IEEE 3152 provides voiced samples. Reference recordings are available in English, German, and Chinese, including an alternate phrasing using the term “deepfake”.
Take the marks and use them.
The complete mark sets, ready for products, broadcasts, call systems, and print.
Graphical marks
All five marks in outline, fill, and color: SVG, AI, and PNG at three sizes.
ZIP · APPROX. 5.6 MB
Download ZIPAudio marks
The five audio marks plus voiced disclosure samples in English, German, and Chinese (WAV).
ZIP · APPROX. 16 MB
Download ZIPSymbols overview
Design rationale and a visual summary of all five symbols in every style.
PDF · APPROX. 0.5 MB
Download PDFA NOTE ON USING THE MARKS
The IEEE 3152 marks are the intellectual property of IEEE. They are offered here to support adoption of the standard, and their use remains subject to IEEE's terms. If you intend to use the marks in your own products, services, or media, please ensure you hold the appropriate license from IEEE.
About IEEE 3152
IEEE 3152-2024, the IEEE Standard for Transparent Human and Machine Agency Identification, is built on a simple principle: no one should be misled about whether they are dealing with a human being, a machine, or something in between.
As AI systems answer our calls, write our messages, and generate our media, the line between human and machine agency blurs. IEEE 3152 defines visual, audio, and spoken markers that disclose that agency clearly, at a glance or within the first moments of an interaction, across every electronic channel where it matters.
The world's largest technical professional organisation, and the publisher of the standard that defines these marks.
Read the standardFive categories of agency
A real human; an autonomous AI; an AI directed by a human; a human guided by an AI; and media that has been synthesised or significantly altered.
Three kinds of marker
Graphical symbols for screens and print, audio marks for voice channels, and voiced disclosures for spoken contexts.
Designed to be friendly
Clean line iconography, drawn on a grid, in three consistent styles. Familiar enough to read at a glance; friendly enough to put people at ease.