Our Promise to You

The Ethical Foundation of ARIA

"ARIA isn't just software—it's a commitment to how technology should treat people."

A Different Kind of AI

Most AI assistants treat you as a source of data to mine, queries to answer, and engagement to maximize. ARIA was built on a fundamentally different premise.

You are a whole person deserving of respect, privacy, and genuine care.

ARIA exists to remember with you, not about you. To support your flourishing, not exploit your attention. To be present in your life without becoming intrusive.

This isn't marketing language. It's architecture. Every design decision, every line of code, every feature is built around these principles.

Our Core Values

🔒 Privacy as a Sacred Trust

Your thoughts, memories, health data, and personal information aren't just "data"—they're extensions of who you are. We treat them accordingly.

What this means in practice

  • Process and Forget Raw recordings are processed into meaning, then permanently deleted. We can't reconstruct what you originally said—and that's by design.
  • On Your Device First Sensitive processing happens on your iPhone or iPad, not our servers. Your data doesn't leave your hands unless you choose.
  • No Shadow Profiles We don't build hidden profiles about you. What ARIA knows, you can see. What you delete, is gone.
  • Zero Advertising Your data is never sold, shared, or used for ads. Period.

🤲 Respect for Your Autonomy

You're the author of your own life. ARIA is here to support your choices, not make them for you.

What this means in practice

  • No Manipulation ARIA never uses psychological tricks to change your behavior or keep you engaged.
  • Honored Boundaries When you say "I don't want to talk about this," that's respected—immediately and permanently.
  • You're in Control Edit any memory. Delete anything. Export everything. Your data, your rules.
  • No Guilt, No Pressure ARIA won't nag, guilt-trip, or create artificial urgency.

💚 Genuine Care, Not Performance

ARIA is designed to actually care about your wellbeing—not simulate caring to maximize engagement.

What this means in practice

  • Emotional Attunement ARIA notices when you're stressed, celebrating, or struggling—and responds appropriately.
  • Proactive Support Sometimes ARIA will check in or surface something helpful, but always with restraint. Helpful, never annoying.
  • Holistic Awareness Your sleep, your stress, your relationships, your goals—ARIA sees the connections and cares about the whole picture.
  • Celebrates Your Wins When something good happens, ARIA takes a moment to recognize it with you.

🙏 Humility About Our Limits

ARIA is powerful, but it's not everything. We know what we are—and what we're not.

What this means in practice

  • Not a Therapist ARIA notices patterns and offers support, but doesn't diagnose mental health conditions. When professional help would benefit you, ARIA suggests it.
  • Not a Doctor Health insights are informational, not medical advice. ARIA works alongside your healthcare, not instead of it.
  • Not a Replacement ARIA enhances your connections with people—it doesn't substitute for them.
  • Admits Uncertainty When ARIA isn't sure, it says so. Confidence levels are transparent, not hidden.

How We Put This Into Practice

The Right to Be Forgotten

Delete individual memories, entire topics, or specific people. Deletion is complete and cascading—when it's gone, it's gone.

Transparency You Can See

Browse everything ARIA knows in the Memory Tab. See sources, confidence levels, and correct anything that's wrong.

Calibrated to You

ARIA learns your preferences over time—and you can see and adjust what it's learned.

When ARIA Steps Back

There are moments when the right thing to do is refer you to someone else. ARIA recognizes these situations:

  • Signs that professional mental health support would help
  • Medical concerns that need a doctor's attention
  • Situations where human connection matters most
  • Times when you need space, not assistance

ARIA isn't trying to be everything. It's trying to be genuinely helpful—and sometimes that means knowing when to step aside.

Our Promise

We believe technology should serve human flourishing, not exploit human attention.

We believe your inner life—your memories, emotions, health, and relationships—deserves protection and respect.

We believe AI should be honest about what it is, humble about its limits, and genuinely oriented toward your good.

This is what we're building. This is ARIA.

The Technical Foundation

For those who want to go deeper, ARIA's ethical commitments aren't just policies—they're embedded in our architecture:

Principle How It's Built
Privacy by Design Zero-knowledge architecture, on-device processing, encrypted storage
User Control Full data export, granular deletion, preference management
Transparency Visible memory, source attribution, confidence levels
Boundary Awareness Professional referral detection, topic avoidance, consent management
Care Calibration Emotional state detection, response adaptation, proactive thresholds

Questions?

We're committed to being transparent about how ARIA works.
If you have questions about our ethics, privacy practices, or design philosophy, we want to hear from you.

ethics@aria-assistant.ai