Terms of Service

Effective: 30 April 2026 · Version 1 (draft, pre-launch)

This is a v1 draft for the pre-launch period. We will replace it with a counsel-reviewed version before opening Animus to the general public. By using Animus during the private/test phase, you agree to these terms as written. If you have questions, please reach out before continuing.

1. Acceptance & account creation

By creating an account or using Animus, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. You represent that you are at least 13 years old. People under 13 are not permitted to register. Recipients (people invited to view what an owner has prepared) are required to confirm they are at least 18.

One natural person, one account. Don't create accounts on behalf of someone else; if you want to set something up for a family member, ask them to create their own account.

2. What Animus is — and isn't

Animus helps you record memories, audio, and instructions; build an AI persona shaped by what you wrote and recorded; and choose specific recipients who will receive access — either now (preview) or after a confirmed sunset event. The AI is not you; it speaks from what you've left.

Animus is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, or human relationships. AI replies are generated by language models and may contain inaccuracies. Don't rely on them for safety-critical decisions.

3. Acceptable use

You may not, on Animus or by way of it:

Upload voice samples that include other people's voices without their separate consent;
Use Animus to harass, threaten, deceive, or impersonate any person;
Use Animus's voice cloning, AI persona, or generated audio for any commercial purpose outside the service (advertising, resale, broadcast, etc.);
Create accounts on behalf of someone who has already died, or upload third-party deceased persons' voices/likenesses;
Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or train other models on Animus content.

4. Voice cloning & California Civil Code §3344.1

If you record voice samples and authorize Animus to clone your voice, you grant Animus a limited, revocable license to:

Train an AI voice model from your samples;
Use that model to generate audio for the recipients you designate, both during your life and after your death;
Use your name, photograph, and likeness within the Animus product, for the same scope.

This authorization is recorded explicitly when you sign the in-product consent ("Voice authorization" in your Account). It exists to satisfy California Civil Code §3344.1 and the analogous statutes in other states. You may revoke it at any time by deleting your account, which will discontinue voice cloning and remove cloned models within commercially reasonable time.

5. AI behavior & safety

Animus's AI replies are generated by third-party language models (currently OpenAI's GPT-4 family) using prompts shaped by your own content. The AI is instructed to:

Speak from your memories, not invent them;
Step out of voice and offer crisis resources when a recipient signals self-harm or distress;
Soften over time and eventually suggest reduced visits, rather than sustain dependency.

If you (the owner) signal distress in chat-living, Animus pauses memory capture for 24 hours and suggests you reach out to people in your life. Animus is not equipped to act in a medical emergency. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), 911, or your local equivalent.

6. Trustees & sunset retirement

Animus includes a Trustee tool that lets you designate one or more people who can confirm — should the time come — that you have passed away. Trustees do not gain access to your conversations, voice samples, or recipient communications. Their only powers are:

Confirming your death via the trustee portal (subject to a dispute window during which you may reverse it);
Receiving notification of sunset events;
Accessing the activity log for your account.

The Trustee tool is intended to satisfy the "online tool" provisions of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA, where adopted). Designations made here take precedence over conflicting instructions in any will, trust, or power of attorney. You may modify or revoke trustee designations at any time.

Once a sunset is executed (after the dispute window passes), your account becomes read-only. Recipients receive what you prepared; conversations end; voice cloning stops. A final letter is generated once and archived to a memorial page.

7. Data retention

While your account is active, your content is retained indefinitely. After a confirmed sunset, content remains accessible to recipients until each recipient's access window expires (you set the duration), plus a 30-day grace period. After that, the account is permanently deleted, including cloned voice models held with our voice provider.

You may delete your account at any time from Account → Delete account. Deletion is irreversible.

8. Intellectual property

You retain all rights to the content you submit (memories, photos, voice, writings). You grant Animus a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, process, transmit, and display your content for the sole purpose of operating the service for you and your recipients.

Animus's product, design, code, and trademarks are owned by us and are not licensed to you.

9. Disclaimers & liability

Animus is provided "as is." We don't warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that AI outputs will be accurate, complete, or appropriate for any particular purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our aggregate liability to you for any claim arising from your use of Animus will not exceed the greater of (a) the fees you paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim or (b) USD $100. Some jurisdictions limit how much liability can be capped; in those places, the cap applies to the maximum allowed.

10. Termination

You may stop using Animus at any time and delete your account. We may suspend or terminate accounts for material violations of these Terms, after notice where reasonable.

11. Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware (without regard to conflicts-of-law). For California residents, California Civil Code §3344.1 also applies to questions about voice and likeness use. Any dispute will first be addressed by good-faith email exchange ([email protected]) for thirty days; unresolved disputes may proceed to binding arbitration under AAA rules in San Francisco County, California, or — at your option — small-claims court for qualifying amounts.

12. Changes

We will email registered users at least 30 days before any material change to these Terms. Continued use after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance.

13. Contact

Questions: [email protected]