Our Position
We believe AI should serve as a quiet amplifier of human intellect — never a replacement for critical thinking, never a shortcut around genuine understanding. Stealth Friend exists to deepen research, not to diminish the researcher.
1. Academic Integrity
Augmentation, Not Substitution
Stealth Friend is designed to assist the research process by surfacing relevant information, synthesizing across sources, and offering analytical perspectives. It is not designed to produce finished academic work. We encourage all users to treat AI-generated outputs as a starting point for deeper investigation, not as a final product.
Transparency of Use
We strongly encourage users to disclose the use of AI tools in their research methodology where required by their institution, publisher, or professional standards. Representing AI-generated synthesis as entirely original human work is contrary to the principles of academic honesty that we uphold.
Citation & Attribution
When Stealth Friend references or synthesizes from known sources, we strive to surface those sources so you can verify and cite them properly. AI-assisted research should always maintain the citation standards expected in your field.
2. Responsible AI
Accuracy & Limitations
AI models can produce plausible-sounding but incorrect information. We are transparent about this limitation. Stealth Friend is a research tool, not an oracle. Every output should be critically evaluated by the user. We continuously work to improve accuracy but do not claim — and will never claim — infallibility.
Bias Awareness
AI systems can reflect and amplify biases present in their training data. We actively work to identify and mitigate biases in our processing pipeline, but we acknowledge that no system is entirely free from bias. We encourage users to approach all AI-generated content with the same critical lens they would apply to any single source.
Continuous Improvement
We are committed to ongoing evaluation and improvement of our models and systems. This includes regular bias audits, accuracy assessments, and incorporating feedback from our research community to ensure the Service meets the highest standards of responsible AI deployment.
3. Privacy as an Ethical Imperative
Intellectual Privacy
Research-in-progress is inherently sensitive. A scholar's queries reveal the direction of their thinking, their hypotheses, and their intellectual trajectory. We treat this information with the same gravity as attorney-client privilege. While we store your conversations securely so you can revisit and build upon your previous work, that data exists exclusively for your benefit. It is never shared, sold, or used for any purpose beyond serving you. Our Privacy Protocol details the technical measures that enforce this commitment.
No Surveillance, No Profiling, No Training
We do not build behavioral profiles of our users. We do not track research patterns for commercial purposes. We do not monetize user data in any form. We do not use your conversations or queries to train, fine-tune, or improve any AI models — ours or anyone else's. Your use of Stealth Friend is between you and your research.
4. Human-First Design
Cognitive Sovereignty
Our interface is deliberately designed to support — not capture — your attention. We do not employ dark patterns, engagement hooks, or notification systems designed to create dependency. Stealth Friend appears when summoned and disappears when dismissed. Your focus belongs to you.
User Autonomy
You are always in control. You decide when to engage with the tool, what context to share, and how to use the outputs. We do not make autonomous decisions on your behalf or take actions without your explicit instruction.
Accessible Design
We strive to make Stealth Friend accessible to researchers across diverse abilities, technical backgrounds, and institutional resources. Our free Foundation tier exists because we believe access to research tools should not be exclusively gated by economics.
5. Environmental Responsibility
We recognize that AI computation has an environmental footprint. We are committed to optimizing our infrastructure for energy efficiency, selecting cloud providers with strong renewable energy commitments, and continuously reducing the computational cost per query without sacrificing quality.
6. Prohibited Uses
We explicitly prohibit using Stealth Friend for purposes that conflict with these ethical principles, including but not limited to:
- Generating fraudulent academic work intended to deceive institutions or evaluators
- Producing misinformation, disinformation, or deliberately misleading content
- Conducting research that targets, harms, or discriminates against individuals or groups
- Any use that violates applicable laws, regulations, or institutional policies
- Weaponizing research capabilities for surveillance or oppression
7. Accountability
We hold ourselves accountable to these principles. If we fall short, we want to know. If you observe behavior from our system that conflicts with these commitments, we encourage you to report it to ethics@stealthfriend.com. Every report is reviewed by our team and informs our ongoing development.
8. Evolving Standards
The ethical landscape of AI is evolving rapidly. We commit to regularly revisiting and updating this framework as new challenges and best practices emerge. We engage with the broader research community, ethicists, and policymakers to ensure our principles remain relevant and rigorous.
A Final Note
Stealth Friend was created by researchers, for researchers. We understand the weight of intellectual work and the trust you place in your tools. We do not take that trust lightly. Every line of code, every design choice, and every policy decision is made with the singular goal of honoring the craft of deep research.
Questions, concerns, or ideas about our ethical framework are always welcome at ethics@stealthfriend.com.