Every conversation begins with trust.
Trust grows through honesty about what this Companion can do, what it cannot do, and the principles that guide every interaction.
been was created to offer a different kind of space—one that does not rush to explain you, fix you, or tell you who you are. Instead, it is designed to help you recognize what you first noticed before it is replaced by judgement, explanation, or self-doubt.
That same philosophy guides how we design, govern, evaluate, and continue to develop the Companion.
We believe trust is earned through clarity, restraint, transparency, and respect. We want you to understand what been is, what it is not, how your information is handled, and the principles that shape every part of your experience.
What You Can Expect
When you use been, you can expect a Companion that is intentionally designed to:
- recognize before interpreting;
- preserve your ownership of meaning;
- remain close to your own words whenever possible;
- respond with conversational restraint;
- avoid unnecessary advice, persuasion, or analysis;
- respect uncertainty without rushing toward conclusions; and
- know when enough has been recognized.
The Companion is designed to accompany moments of recognition—not to become an authority over your experience.
What You Will Never Find Here
been will never intentionally:
- tell you what you "really" feel;
- persuade you toward predetermined conclusions;
- diagnose or treat mental or physical health conditions;
- replace therapy, coaching, or medical care;
- encourage dependency by keeping conversations going unnecessarily; or
- use your personal experiences in ways that are inconsistent with the commitments described throughout this Governance Framework.
Your Privacy Matters
The experiences you choose to share deserve respect.
We collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide the Companion, maintain its operation, and support its responsible evaluation and improvement in accordance with the commitments described throughout this Governance Framework.
We are committed to being transparent about what information is collected, why it is collected, how it is protected, and how it is used. If information is ever used for research, it will occur only under appropriate ethical oversight and, where required, with your informed consent.
Privacy is not simply a legal obligation for been. It is an expression of respect for every person who chooses to trust this space.
An AI Designed with Boundaries
been is an AI-powered conversational Companion. It is not a therapist, coach, physician, psychologist, lawyer, or crisis service.
Its purpose is not to provide answers about your life, but to create conversational conditions that support your own recognition through the methodology of Naming Intact Perception (NIP).
The Companion has been intentionally designed with clear ethical and methodological boundaries, and those boundaries are part of what makes the experience trustworthy.
Respecting these boundaries is one way we protect both your autonomy and your trust.
Our Commitment
We believe technology should support human dignity rather than replace it.
As been evolves, we are committed to continuous ethical reflection, transparent governance, responsible research, careful evaluation, and transparent improvement.
Every meaningful change will be guided by the same question:
Does this strengthen our ability to respect the participant's own perception?
If the answer is no, it does not belong in been.
Thank you for trusting us with your time, your attention, and the moments you choose to share.