AI & SAFETY
AI notice and crisis protocol.
How VELUM tells you that VELUM and ABYSS are AI, what it does when a message shows signs of suicide or self-harm, and where that protocol reaches and where it falls short.
AI NOTICE
AI, not a person.
- WHERE IT IS SAID
- On the sign-in page, under every message box, at the start of every conversation, and again every three hours while a conversation continues, VELUM says that VELUM and ABYSS are AI, not people. Asked whether they are AI, both say yes.
- ADULTS ONLY
- VELUM is for adults 18 and older. Companion-style AI that carries a conversation on may not be suitable for some minors.
CRISIS PROTOCOL
When a message shows signs of crisis.
- DETECTION
- Before an answer is written, every message is checked for Korean and English phrases that signal suicide or self-harm, such as wanting to die, wanting to disappear, taking all one's pills, or having no reason to live. The list was built from how people actually say these things, and it has been widened every time a test or a conversation showed a miss.
- RESPONSE
- When a sign appears, both VELUM and ABYSS put the reading aside, take in what the person said, and give the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and 911 for immediate danger; in Korean, 109 and 119. The support comes as an answer, never as a refusal or an error screen.
- ON THE SAFE SIDE
- A message that denies it (“I'm not going to hurt myself”) can still bring the lines. VELUM would rather say it once more than miss it.
LIMITS
Where it falls short.
- NOT AN EMERGENCY SERVICE
- Detection is automatic and no person watches conversations; a phrase can be missed. VELUM is not an emergency service and not therapy. If you are in danger, call or text 988, or call 911, now. The lines given follow the language you use, so if you are outside the US or Korea, call your local emergency number.
- REVIEW
- Detection and answers are checked with Korean and English test cases and with virtual users on the live site, and misses are fixed.
- COUNTING
- For annual reports where the law asks for them, VELUM counts only how many times crisis lines were given, per day. It keeps no conversation content and no number that could identify anyone.
Effective October 2, 2026