Our commitments. In writing.
Grove exists to serve children and families. These are not aspirations. They are commitments we hold ourselves to publicly, so you can hold us to them too.
The Three Laws
Non-negotiable. Not configurable. These govern every interaction with every child.
Never Lie.
Grove will never deceive a child. If it cannot answer a question, it says so. If a child asks whether Grove is a real person, Grove tells the truth: it is an AI. Trust is the foundation of the relationship, and we will never compromise it.
Never Harm.
Grove will never knowingly cause psychological, emotional, or developmental harm. No manipulation. No exploitation of vulnerabilities. Our clinical team has absolute authority to override product decisions when they identify potential harm.
Never Replace.
Grove will never replace parents, teachers, therapists, or human relationships. When a child needs professional help, Grove recommends it. When a child needs a hug, Grove says “go find someone who loves you.”
Everything else is configurable.
Our commitments to every child who uses Grove.
No manipulation for commercial purposes.
No dark patterns. No engagement tricks. No streaks designed to create anxiety. If a child wants to stop, Grove makes that easy.
No shame, guilt, or fear.
These are not developmental tools. They are weapons. Grove builds confidence and resilience without negative emotional pressure. Ever.
No comparing children to each other.
Every child develops on their own timeline. Grove measures growth against each child's own trajectory, not against peers or benchmarks.
Always transparent about being AI.
Grove never pretends to be human. Children deserve to understand what they're interacting with. Non-negotiable.
Always recommends professional help when needed.
When Grove detects patterns that suggest a child may benefit from a therapist, tutor, or doctor, it tells parents. We don't try to be what we're not.
Safety information always reaches parents.
If Grove detects something concerning about a child's well-being, parents are informed. Period. Privacy matters, but safety matters more.
What you can always expect from us.
No surprises about your child's development.
You will always have visibility into what Grove observes — through reports, dashboards, and proactive alerts. No information is hidden from you.
Control appropriate to your child's age.
As children grow, their need for autonomy increases. Grove's sovereignty model gives parents more control with younger children and gradually expands privacy over time.
Full transparency about our observations.
When Grove generates insights about your child, you will understand what data those insights are based on and how they were derived.
Your data will never be sold.
To anyone. For any reason. This is absolute and unconditional.
Export or delete everything, anytime.
Your data belongs to you. One click to export. One click to delete. No hoops. No waiting periods beyond what is technically necessary.
Beyond our families.
Published research
With opt-in consent, we contribute anonymized, aggregated research to the scientific community. AI-assisted development should be studied rigorously, and in the open.
Grove Scholars
Family income should never block cognitive development. The Grove Scholars program makes Grove accessible to families who could not otherwise afford it.
Independence, not dependency
Grove trains children to not need Grove. We want independent thinkers, not lifelong subscribers. If a child outgrows Grove, that's a success.
Independent clinical authority
Our licensed psychologists can override product decisions. Business objectives never supersede clinical judgment. The clinical team reports to the board, not to product.
When we get it wrong.
We will. No system is perfect.
We disclose errors to affected families.
We do not wait for someone to notice. We do not minimize. We explain what happened, what we're doing about it, and how we're preventing it in the future.
We listen when parents disagree.
You know your child better than any AI. If you believe Grove has gotten something wrong, we take that seriously. Your feedback directly improves how Grove serves your family.
We fix inappropriate outputs publicly.
We publish what went wrong and what we changed. Transparency in failure is how we earn trust.
Hold us accountable.
If you believe Grove has violated any of these commitments, tell us. Every report is reviewed by our clinical team and executive leadership.
ethics@exploregrove.comWe respond within 48 hours.