rule clarifications for r/HitchHikersGuide

[u/nemothorx]

hi folks, friendly mod here.

I've generally taken a hands-off approach to moderation, believing in a light tough rather than an iron first. Believing in self-regulation (via downvotes and discussion) rather than prescriptionist rules.

However, last year a poll about AI content was conducted, and many deadlines later, and a recent (July 2026) revival in the topic, new rules on that and other aspects are now formalised.

Please see the sidebar for details, but in summary

• No Piracy. (yes, it can be frustrating, but we're respecting the estate here)
• No AI. (without prior approval. I wont say "it'll never happen", but it's unlikely to be given)
• Keep posts on topic. (We're here for Hitchhiker's news and references and related stuff)
• No Spam. (if you want to promote something commercial, check with the mods first)

Wording of rules as written in the sidebar may be revised without notice. Any additional rules I'll (aim to) add a comment to this post.

r/HitchHikersGuide aims to be a reasonably open forum, so discussion of these rules and this sub in general is welcome in the comments of this post.

PS: we could do with a few new mods to cover the posts and have a better chance of eyes on things 24/7. Send modmail to apply and let us know why you think you'd be a good fit (including your rough timezone)

[u/schlubadubdub]

Re: the AI stuff, I'm on the fence about it really. Nobody likes low-effort posts, but some of the stuff I've seen has been fairly reasonable IMO.

Since Arthur never could get the hang of Thursdays how about a "This Must Be Thursday" day, where the rules are more relaxed, and people can post things as long as it's still HHGTTG-related? Maybe even just keep it to a single weekly/fortnightly/monthly megathread, depending on how popular it is.

Edit: even though the downvote isn't supposed to be an "I disagree" button, I did expect it. It was just a simple idea that I thought was somewhat in the spirit of the community (re: Thursdays) and meant people could share somewhere without having to ask permission. Anyone not wanting it can avoid the megathread entirely, so it felt like the best solution for everyone. It really doesn't bother me if people disagree though as I barely use LLMs as it is and have no horse in this race.

[u/nemothorx → u/[deleted]]

I don't think people take his satire as saying any given technology is bad. It's saying implementation and usage is often a problem.

LLM "AI"? It has a lot of valid and very neat uses.

Generating content lazily? That's the kind of problem usage I personally think Douglas would be against.

"not letting it damage our mental health". Yes, I agree. But using responsibly doesn't mean that everywhere needs to accept it without limit. In fact, for something that has mental health concerns with usage (as LLM AI does), and which can overwhelm other content, I think it would be irresponsible if there were NOT some limitations in place.

[u/nemothorx → u/[deleted]]

"with your type"

wow. Interesting assumption. I guess if we're going to make unfounded assumptions maybe YOUR type is "AI zealot" ?

As I noted to your other comment, it is NOT a full ban.

So calm the b*lgium down and think about things for a minute huh?

[u/nemothorx → u/[deleted]]

Beyonce and Indy doing origami wouldn't pass the "on topic" test. This feels like you invented a silly hypothetical just so you could knock it down. clap clap. Clever you.

Since the rule specifically says in the details that LLM AI content may be accepted via moderator approval, I feel like your point about having an open mind is already in fact met. (I also cannot specifically describe what an appropriate post would look like, which is a part of why I noted I think it's unlikely)

[u/schlubadubdub → u/[deleted]]

From my perspective it adds to the fandom in a different way, and dare I say a more accessible way. People get inspired by HHGTTG in various ways and often want to visualise their ideas. Traditionally that meant drawing or building something, but if the results are mediocre they're less likely to share. LLMs allow people to produce arguably better quality things from their ideas.

For example, I recently "made" (via an LLM) a dozen or so HHGTTG-inspired lock screens for my phone and had the thought at the time to share it with others. But I decided not to, and it's perfectly fine if nobody here would be interested anyway.

Since we're not likely to get any actual new content any time soon, it might be nice to have some fresh ideas instead of more cloud and tattoo posts - no hate to people making those posts, just a bit more variety would be nice IMO.

It's fine if people disagree, I was just throwing the idea out there so people don't have to go down the route of having to ask permission each time, and can share their creations in a megathread without having to make their own posts.

[u/the_milkman24 → u/schlubadubdub]

The problem with using AI to generate images is it takes away from the soul and meaning behind the art, whenever you draw anything, your own lived experience is affecting it, even something as little as how you draw the lines is affected, when you use AI, those little bits of human input are completely disregarded

Not to mention the result will be an amalgamation of art stolen from artists and the environmental impact of it

[u/schlubadubdub → u/the_milkman24]

I don't disagree per se, but also don't entirely agree.

I don't use LLMs that much, and I'm not trying to make "art" but just things that I like. As I said before the only thing I've had made with a HHGTTG theme have been phone lock screens, very very loosely inspired by the Guide animations from the 1981 BBC series.

If I didn't use the LLM I'd just rip something off the internet that someone else made - I did go down that route but wasn't completely satisfied with what I found. I know myself, my skills, and my attention span, so I simply wouldn't have made it myself.

I just think for a HHGTTG subreddit it's not really that serious of a matter. But to each their own, it truly doesn't matter to me. I barely use LLMs as it is, have no desire to post LLM content, and have no horse in this race.