Legal Overview

SerenaChat is a symbolic affective computing system developed by Beyond The Box. This page consolidates all legal information, including Terms of Service, API terms, data handling, acceptable use, privacy principles, and your rights as a user.

1. Terms of Service

1.1 Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using SerenaChat, its API, demo interface, documentation, website, or any related services provided by Beyond The Box, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree with these terms, you must discontinue use of the platform immediately.

If you are using SerenaChat on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to agree to these terms on its behalf.

1.2 Description of Service

SerenaChat is a symbolic emotional analysis engine that converts input text into a structured emotional vector. The platform provides:

  • Deterministic emotional vector computation
  • Emotion classification (primary, secondary, tertiary)
  • A public demo endpoint for testing
  • API access for developers and businesses
  • Supporting dashboards, documentation, and integrations

SerenaChat is entirely symbolic. It does not operate as a neural network, does not store user-submitted text, and does not use any form of user content for training.

1.3 Modifications and Availability

Beyond The Box may modify, add, or remove features of SerenaChat at any time. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • API features or endpoints
  • Rate limits or pricing tiers
  • Dashboard functionality
  • Backend behaviour and internal processes
  • Demo system limitations

Where possible, we will provide reasonable notice for material changes. Minor changes or improvements may occur without notice. SerenaChat may also be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or technical issues.

1.4 Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use SerenaChat. If you are under 18, you must use the service only under supervision from a parent, guardian, or authorised adult.

1.5 Account Registration

Certain features (such as API keys or usage dashboards) may require an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for any activity occurring under your account. Beyond The Box is not liable for unauthorised access resulting from failure to secure your login details.

1.6 Service Restrictions

You may not:

  • Use automated scripts to abuse the demo endpoint
  • Attempt to reverse engineer, extract, or replicate the emotional mapping system
  • Interfere with system integrity or security
  • Resell or sublicense the service without permission
  • Use SerenaChat outputs as the sole basis for high-risk decisions

1.7 Third-Party Integrations

You may integrate SerenaChat into your own products or tools, provided such integrations comply with these Terms and do not misrepresent or expose the internal workings of the emotional engine. Beyond The Box is not responsible for issues arising from third-party integrations or systems outside our control.

1.8 Suspension and Termination

Beyond The Box reserves the right to suspend or terminate access to SerenaChat if:

  • You violate these Terms
  • You misuse or attack the service
  • Your usage poses security or stability risks
  • Fraudulent or abusive behaviour is detected

Termination may occur without prior notice if necessary to protect the service or users.

1.9 No Warranties

SerenaChat is provided “as is” and “as available”. Beyond The Box makes no warranties, whether express or implied, regarding:

  • Accuracy of emotional classification
  • Uninterrupted availability
  • Fitness for any particular purpose
  • Error-free operation

1.10 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United Kingdom, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration unless a separate enterprise contract specifies alternative terms.

1.11 Updates to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last Updated” date at the bottom of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the service constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

2. Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") outlines activities that are prohibited or restricted when using SerenaChat, its API, demo interface, documentation, dashboards, or any related services operated by Beyond The Box.

2.1 Prohibited Activities

You agree not to use SerenaChat for:

  • Illegal activities, including fraud, harassment, or distribution of harmful content.
  • Autonomous weapons, targeting systems, or military-grade surveillance tools.
  • Detection, manipulation, or profiling of protected characteristics (race, religion, health status, etc.).
  • High-risk decision making without appropriate human oversight (medical triage, legal decisions, etc.).
  • Building competitive replicas of SerenaChat via reverse engineering or extraction of system logic.
  • Exceeding rate limits or attempting to bypass usage caps.
  • Scraping, automated abuse, or load testing of the demo endpoint.
  • Any activity intended to degrade, disrupt, or impair the service.

2.2 Demo Environment Restrictions

The demo endpoint is strictly for human testing and evaluation. Automated or bulk use, production traffic, or integration into commercial systems using the demo endpoint is prohibited.

2.3 Security Obligations

You must not interfere with the security, integrity, or availability of SerenaChat. This includes prohibitions on:

  • Attempting unauthorised access to systems, accounts, or data
  • Sending malware, exploits, or harmful payloads
  • Probing, scanning, or stress-testing infrastructure without permission

2.4 Enforcement

Beyond The Box reserves the right to monitor usage for compliance and may suspend or terminate access without notice if violations are detected.

3. API Terms

3.1 API Key Usage

Access to the SerenaChat API requires an authenticated key linked to your account. You must keep API keys confidential and may not share, resell, or misuse them.

3.2 Rate Limits

Each plan includes specified monthly and per-minute request limits. Exceeding these limits may trigger throttling, temporary blocking, or additional charges for enterprise plans where applicable.

3.3 Allowed Integrations

You may integrate the API into your products, services, internal tools, or research systems, provided such integrations:

  • Do not misrepresent SerenaChat output as clinical, diagnostic, or legally binding
  • Do not create derivative models attempting to replicate Serena's logic
  • Respect all applicable data and privacy laws

3.4 Logging and Data Retention

SerenaChat does not store user-submitted text. The system stores only lightweight, non-content metadata (timestamps, token counts, and error codes) for short-term operational debugging, unless an enterprise contract specifies otherwise.

3.5 SLA and Availability

Public users receive best-effort uptime. Enterprise plans may include:

  • Guaranteed uptime SLAs
  • Support or incident response windows
  • Dedicated or private endpoints

3.6 Misuse of the API

Activities such as load testing, security probing, or intentional destabilisation of API infrastructure are prohibited without explicit permission.

4. Privacy Principles

SerenaChat is designed from the ground up with privacy and minimisation in mind. The engine does not store, log, or train on user input text.

4.1 No Storage of Input Text

Text sent to the API is processed **in memory only** and is immediately discarded once the emotional vector is produced.

4.2 No Training on User Data

SerenaChat is symbolic and therefore does not learn from or incorporate user text into any model.

4.3 Metadata Handling

Minimal metadata may be retained temporarily for debugging:

  • Request timestamps
  • API key identifier
  • Latency and error diagnostics

No personal data is extracted from input text.

4.4 GDPR & International Compliance

SerenaChat follows GDPR-compliant principles:

  • Data minimisation
  • Purpose limitation
  • Transparency
  • User control in enterprise contexts

4.5 Enterprise Privacy Mode

Enterprise deployments may:

  • Disable all logging entirely
  • Run Serena locally within a private VPC
  • Route data exclusively through customer infrastructure

5. Intellectual Property

SerenaChat, including its symbolic emotional engine, classification system, vector mappings, source code, trademarks, design, documentation, and branding elements, is the exclusive property of Beyond The Box.

5.1 No Replication

You may not copy, reverse engineer, extract, or attempt to recreate the underlying symbolic logic, emotional rules, or codebase.

5.2 No Redistribution

You may not redistribute the SerenaChat system, its outputs, or any portion of the emotional engine without explicit written permission.

5.3 Use of Brand Assets

“SerenaChat,” “Serena,” and all associated branding may only be used under permitted guidelines or with written approval.

6. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SerenaChat is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied.

6.1 No Guarantee of Accuracy

Emotional classifications, vectors, and system outputs are deterministic but may not always reflect real human emotions or intended meanings.

6.2 No Liability for Damages

Beyond The Box is not liable for:

  • Loss of profits or business interruption
  • Loss of data or corruption of information
  • Misuse or misinterpretation of outputs
  • Indirect or consequential damages

6.3 No Professional Use Claims

SerenaChat outputs must not be used as a substitute for mental health, medical, legal, or safety-critical judgement.

7. Data Handling

SerenaChat operates with strict data minimisation principles.

7.1 In-Memory Processing

Input text is not stored. It is processed temporarily in memory, converted into an emotional vector, then immediately discarded.

7.2 Logging Configuration

Public API logs include only non-sensitive metadata. Enterprise customers can customise or disable all logging.

7.3 No Dataset Creation

SerenaChat does not build datasets from user interactions. No text is retained for training, fine-tuning, or analytics.

7.4 Local and On-Prem Deployments

Enterprise users may deploy SerenaChat in isolated environments with:

  • No external network dependencies
  • Complete control over logs and retention
  • Total data sovereignty for compliance needs

9. Responsible AI Policy

SerenaChat is designed to provide emotionally-aware computation through a fully symbolic, deterministic engine. As part of Beyond The Box’s commitment to safe and responsible AI development, we maintain strict guidelines that govern how SerenaChat is built, deployed, and used.

9.1 Ethical Foundations

SerenaChat is developed according to the principles of transparency, safety, and explainability. The system does not generate free-form text or predictions, does not infer protected attributes, and does not take actions autonomously. All outputs are deterministic and fully inspectable.

9.2 Transparency and Explainability

Unlike black-box neural networks, SerenaChat provides:

  • Deterministic outputs with no hidden parameters
  • A direct mapping from input text to emotional vector
  • Full interpretability of the reasoning process
  • No stochastic behaviour or hallucination risk

These properties make SerenaChat suitable for regulated industries and applications requiring predictable behaviour.

9.3 Safety and Harm Prevention

SerenaChat is not intended to:

  • Replace human judgment in high-risk environments
  • Diagnose, treat, or manage mental health conditions
  • Make legal, medical, financial, or safety-critical decisions
  • Profile users based on sensitive characteristics

Users integrating SerenaChat into products must provide appropriate safeguards, oversight, and human review for any sensitive or consequential applications.

9.4 Privacy Preservation

SerenaChat follows strict data minimisation practices:

  • No storage of input text
  • No training or optimisation on user data
  • No creation of behavioural profiles or user models
  • No sharing or selling of personal data

The system processes text exclusively in memory. Enterprise deployments allow customers to enforce their own privacy policies through private or on-premise installations.

9.5 Human Oversight

SerenaChat is designed as a supportive emotional computation tool and must be used with human supervision in workflows involving:

  • User wellbeing or mental health
  • Customer service escalation decision-making
  • Workflow automation or agent behaviour
  • Moderation or review pipelines

9.6 Restriction on Sensitive Use Cases

SerenaChat may not be used in:

  • Autonomous systems capable of causing harm
  • Emotion manipulation at scale (e.g., political persuasion engines)
  • Law enforcement or real-time surveillance systems
  • Military, defence, or weapons targeting applications
  • Detection of mental illness, trauma, or physiological states

9.7 Continual Review

Beyond The Box reviews the ethical and societal impact of SerenaChat on an ongoing basis. As the system evolves (e.g., future language or response-generation modules), we will update this policy to reflect new capabilities, risks, and mitigations.

9.8 Developer Responsibility

Developers integrating SerenaChat into their systems must:

  • Comply with all applicable laws and regulations
  • Provide transparent disclosures to end users when appropriate
  • Avoid deploying SerenaChat in prohibited contexts
  • Maintain appropriate safeguards around user privacy

9.9 Reporting Concerns

If you believe SerenaChat is being used in a harmful, unethical, or inappropriate manner, please report it to:
responsibleai@serenachat.com

This policy will continue to evolve as SerenaChat’s capabilities expand.

10. AI Safety Commitments

SerenaChat is built as a transparent, deterministic, symbolic system designed with safety as a foundational principle. Beyond The Box commits to developing and deploying Serena in ways that reduce harm, prevent misuse, and ensure predictable behaviour.

10.1 No Autonomous Actions

SerenaChat does not make autonomous decisions, initiate actions, or execute commands. Outputs are strictly informational and require human oversight.

10.2 No Neural-Style Hallucinations

SerenaChat produces deterministic emotional vectors using defined symbolic rules. It does not generate or infer facts, opinions, or free-form text, preventing hallucination risk.

10.3 No Behavioural Manipulation

SerenaChat must not be used to manipulate user emotions, influence political views, or shape behaviour at scale without transparent and ethical frameworks.

10.4 Human-in-the-Loop by Default

Any workflow incorporating SerenaChat must maintain human supervision, especially in:

  • Mental health or wellbeing contexts
  • Customer conflict resolution
  • Safety-critical decisions
  • Automated agent behaviour

10.5 Continuous Monitoring

Beyond The Box actively reviews potential misuse scenarios and updates safeguards across policy, API design, and access controls.

11. Serena Model Card

11.1 System Overview

SerenaChat is a deterministic, symbolic emotional analysis engine. It maps input text to a 7-dimensional emotional vector, then classifies the closest matching emotional states from an ontology of ~200 emotions.

11.2 Intended Use

Serena is intended for:

  • Agent emotional awareness
  • Customer support triage
  • NPC emotional modelling
  • Wellbeing trend tracking (non-diagnostic)
  • Analytics, dashboards, and research tools

11.3 Out-of-Scope Uses

Serena must not be used for:

  • Mental health diagnosis or treatment
  • Legal, financial, or medical decision-making
  • Surveillance or identity inference
  • Emotion manipulation or political persuasion
  • Predicting protected characteristics

11.4 Inputs

Input: raw text. Limitations:

  • Outputs depend on clarity of user text
  • No inference of context not provided in input
  • No world knowledge or memory outside the request

11.5 Outputs

Serena returns:

  • A 7D emotional vector
  • Primary, secondary, tertiary emotions
  • Structured JSON for downstream systems

11.6 Limitations

  • Deterministic but not always aligned with human interpretation
  • No cultural or linguistic contextual modelling
  • Cannot detect sarcasm, idioms, or complex metaphor reliably

11.7 Intended Users

Developers, researchers, agent designers, simulation creators, wellbeing tool builders, and system architects requiring predictable emotional modelling.

12. High-Risk and AGI-Adjacent Use Statement

SerenaChat is not an AGI system and does not approximate AGI-like behaviours. It does not demonstrate autonomous agency, multi-step reasoning, or long-term goal formation. It is a symbolic emotional layer designed to augment other systems.

12.1 Prohibited High-Risk Uses

Serena must not be used in:

  • Autonomous weapon systems
  • Autonomous vehicles or robotics with safety-critical roles
  • Real-time surveillance pipelines
  • Life-or-death decision systems
  • Emergency response automation

12.2 AI Research Transparency

Serena’s symbolic engine promotes safe AGI research by:

  • Providing an interpretable emotional layer
  • Allowing controlled emotional modulation in agents
  • Enabling emotionally coherent simulations without neural black-box behaviour

12.3 No Foundation Model Properties

SerenaChat does not:

  • Learn from user data
  • Develop new capabilities over time
  • Store memory or experiential knowledge
  • Generate text, plans, or actions

13. Security Practices

Beyond The Box employs industry-standard security measures to protect the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of SerenaChat.

13.1 Infrastructure Security

Our security stack includes:

  • Encrypted transit (HTTPS/TLS 1.2+)
  • Firewall-restricted compute environments
  • Strict API authentication via key-based access
  • Rate limiting to prevent abuse and DDoS behaviour

13.2 Application Security

  • Static code analysis and dependency audits
  • Automated linting and test pipelines
  • Regular review of emotional mapping logic for edge cases

13.3 Data Security

Serena does not store or retain user text. Enterprise customers may implement their own retention rules.

13.4 Incident Response

In the event of a security incident, Beyond The Box will notify affected enterprise customers promptly and provide remediation guidance.

8. Contact

For legal enquiries, reach us at:
legal@serenachat.com

For enterprise or compliance-specific questions:
enterprise@serenachat.com

Last Updated: January 2025