Principles

A small set of stated principles, kept.

AUCO is shaped by a few non-negotiable commitments. We list them here so they are easy to hold us to.

1

One technique at a time.

A session is short. AUCO offers one technique, then steps back. There is no curriculum, no programme, no progression badge. If the technique was useful, you can come back. If it was not, AUCO does not ask why.

2

The therapeutic spine is authored material.

AUCO does not invent psychology. Every technique it offers is drawn from clinician-authored material across six frameworks: Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, and Mind-Body Movement. The conversation engine paraphrases that material in AUCO's voice. The source content is version-pinned to every conversation turn – so a year from now we can still tell you what AUCO said and why.

3

The crisis layer is not the language model.

Before any of your input reaches the conversation engine, a deterministic safety pass runs over it. If it matches one of the patterns we have committed to checking for, AUCO stops the session and shows you a region-appropriate crisis card (Samaritans, NHS 111, Mind in the UK; Lifeline, Beyond Blue, 13YARN in Australia). The language model is never the sole gate for safety. This is the lesson the field learned from Tessa and Character.AI, written into our architecture.

4

No engagement-loop optimisation.

AUCO emits no streak metrics, no badges, no return-rate KPIs, no 'we missed you' notifications, no celebratory dopamine confetti. This is a hard line, encoded as a probe that runs nightly: if average sessions per user per week climbs above three, a compliance gate fires and we look at it. High engagement on a vulnerable cohort is a red flag, not a goal. This is the lesson from Replika, written into our code.

5

Your data, your control.

Conversations sit in an EU/UK-resident database with row-level security ensuring you can only read your own. You can export every session as a printable summary at any time. You can delete your account immediately – no grace period, no 'are you sure for the third time.' Anonymised audit-log entries are retained for UK GDPR compliance, but they no longer reference you.

6

AUCO is a wellness companion, not a clinician.

AUCO does not provide clinical advice. It is positioned within the MHRA wellness boundary. It does not make assessments. It does not offer treatment recommendations. If you want a clinical view, see your GP. AUCO can produce a structured summary of a session you can take with you.

7

Brand voice as engineering.

A list of words AUCO will not use – both regulatory triggers (around clinical claims) and brand-voice triggers (around empty motivational language) – is enforced by a linter running on every code commit. Every user-facing string passes the check before it ships. The discipline is in the infrastructure, not in goodwill.

A simple session in plain steps

  1. You type a few sentences about what is happening.
  2. AUCO classifies the underlying theme (sleep, anxiety, identity shift, and so on) using a fast, deterministic pass.
  3. AUCO selects one technique that fits the theme from its authored content.
  4. The conversation engine offers the technique in plain language, in AUCO's voice.
  5. AUCO invites one short reflection – not a quiz, not a rating, just a question.
  6. You close the session when you are ready. If you want a record, you can download a printable summary.
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