Safety and the AI coach

The coach is an AI, not a person

Astonik's coach is generated by artificial intelligence. No person writes its replies. When it speaks, the voice is computer-generated.

The app says so on every screen where you talk to the coach, by typing or by voice, for as long as the conversation lasts. Steps the coach wrote, and the reminder lines it writes for a journey, are labelled as written by your AI coach. The coach is instructed to tell you it is an AI whenever you ask.

It can be wrong. It is not a doctor, therapist, or financial or legal adviser, and it is not a crisis service.

If a message suggests someone may be at risk

The app follows the same steps for every message sent to the coach:

Before the message reaches the AI, our server checks it for signs of suicide or self-harm. If it finds them, the message is not sent to the coach at all.
Instead, the app shows a fixed reply that we wrote in advance. The AI never writes it.
The app then opens a support screen with a crisis line for the country your phone is set to, where we have checked that line on its operator's own website. Where we have not, it points you to findahelpline.com, which lists crisis lines around the world, and to your local emergency number.
A second safety check, which uses AI, also reads each message. Nothing the coach writes is shown or spoken until that check says the message is safe. If the check flags it, the coach's answer is thrown away and the fixed reply is shown instead. If the check cannot be reached, the coach does not answer.
If the app cannot reach our server at all, so no check could run there, it checks the message on your phone and shows the same support screen.

A few other kinds of message, such as requests for help with serious harm or with restricting food, also get a fixed reply that we wrote instead of an answer from the coach.

The app also checks your own writing on your phone, such as journal entries and notes. If it finds the same signs, it saves what you wrote and shows the support screen.

You can find crisis lines at any time in the app: open your profile, then Help, then Getting help.

What the app does not do

It does not contact anyone on your behalf, and no person watches conversations as they happen.
It does not diagnose or treat any condition.
It is for adults 18 and over.

If you may be in danger, call your local emergency number now.

Report a reply

Coach replies shown in the app, and steps the coach wrote, have a Report link next to them. You can also email hello@astonik.com.

The Terms and the Privacy Policy say more about the coach and what happens to what you send it.