Placeboes Research Foundation (“Placeboes”, “Foundation”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) uses artificial intelligence technologies to support access to information, navigation, communication, research dissemination, and other functions on its website.
This Policy explains how artificial intelligence may be used on the Placeboes website, the limitations of AI-generated outputs, the responsibilities of users interacting with AI-enabled features, and the principles governing their responsible deployment.
This Policy applies to AI-enabled features including the Ask AI conversational interface, AI-assisted search or navigation, automated summarization or information retrieval, and other AI-supported functions that may be introduced on the website.
Placeboes regards artificial intelligence as a tool that can assist human inquiry, communication, analysis, and access to knowledge. AI systems may generate useful outputs, but those outputs arise from computational processes and may be incomplete, uncertain, context-dependent, or incorrect.
Accordingly, AI-enabled functions on this website are designed to augment access to information rather than replace human judgement, professional expertise, scientific evaluation, or institutional decision-making.
Where appropriate, consequential decisions remain subject to human judgement and oversight.
Ask AI is an AI-powered conversational interface intended to help visitors explore information about Placeboes Research Foundation, its research programmes, technologies, publications, resources, activities, and related publicly available information.
Ask AI may assist users in:
Its responses should be regarded as AI-generated informational assistance, not as authoritative institutional statements.
Ask AI is not a clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, legal, financial, or other professional advisory service.
It does not:
Where visitors interact directly with an artificial intelligence system, Placeboes will seek to make the AI-mediated nature of that interaction reasonably apparent.
Users should therefore understand that responses generated through Ask AI or other identified AI interfaces are produced computationally and are not necessarily written, reviewed, or approved individually by a member of Placeboes Research Foundation.
Artificial intelligence systems can produce inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, misleading, or contextually inappropriate information. They may also generate plausible-sounding statements that are not supported by reliable evidence.
Placeboes therefore does not guarantee that AI-generated outputs are complete, accurate, current, or suitable for any particular purpose.
Users should independently evaluate information obtained through AI-enabled features when accuracy is important.
For authoritative information concerning Placeboes, users should refer to the relevant official publication, policy, programme page, research output, or direct communication from the Foundation.
AI-enabled features may provide information concerning scientific theories, hypotheses, research findings, emerging evidence, ongoing research, or scientific interpretations.
Such information should not be interpreted as establishing scientific consensus or definitive fact merely because it is presented by an AI system.
Scientific knowledge evolves through observation, experimentation, replication, criticism, interpretation, and continuing evaluation of evidence. Users should consult the underlying scientific literature and original sources when making scholarly or research-related judgements.
The Placeboes website may contain research and educational material relating to health, medicine, consciousness, neuroscience, dentistry, or other biomedical fields.
Information generated or retrieved by AI-enabled features is provided for general informational, research, and educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or clinical decision support.
Users should consult appropriately qualified healthcare professionals for decisions concerning individual health or medical care.
Placeboes may use AI to assist human activities, but AI-generated output does not independently constitute an institutional decision, approval, recommendation, commitment, or position unless expressly adopted or communicated as such by an authorized representative of the Foundation.
Where AI systems support activities with potentially significant consequences, Placeboes seeks to maintain appropriate human oversight consistent with the nature and context of the activity.
Users are expected to interact with AI-enabled features responsibly and lawfully.
Users must not intentionally use these systems to:
Placeboes may restrict access to AI-enabled features where necessary to protect users, systems, information, or the integrity of its services.
Users should not submit confidential, sensitive, proprietary, or unnecessary personal information through Ask AI or other AI-enabled interfaces unless a feature expressly requests such information and explains the purpose for which it is required.
This includes information relating to identifiable patients, research participants, unpublished confidential research, passwords, financial credentials, or other information that the user is not authorized to disclose.
Any processing of personal information associated with website AI features is also subject to the Placeboes Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection requirements.
Identifiable or potentially re-identifiable patient or research-participant information should not be entered into general website AI interfaces.
Where Placeboes uses artificial intelligence within formally approved research or clinical research activities, such use should be governed separately by the applicable research protocol, ethics approvals, informed-consent requirements, data-governance procedures, and applicable law.
The general Ask AI interface should not be regarded as a research-data submission system.
Website content made accessible through AI-enabled systems remains subject to applicable copyright, intellectual-property rights, licences, and Placeboes policies.
AI-generated summaries, explanations, or reformulations do not alter the ownership or legal status of underlying materials.
Users remain responsible for determining whether their intended reproduction, distribution, modification, publication, or other use of material accessed through AI is permitted.
Users should consult original sources before formally quoting, citing, reproducing, or relying upon information returned by an AI system.
Placeboes may use artificial intelligence tools to assist with activities such as drafting, editing, translation, summarization, information organization, software development, visual development, or other supporting processes.
Where AI tools are used, responsibility for material formally published by Placeboes remains with the Foundation or the relevant human authors, editors, researchers, or authorized contributors.
Use of AI assistance does not remove the responsibility for appropriate human review, scientific integrity, attribution, confidentiality, copyright compliance, and accuracy.
Artificial intelligence systems should not be treated as accountable authors of scientific work.
Researchers and contributors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, citations, interpretations, analyses, and conclusions of work submitted or published under their names.
AI use in research and publication should comply with applicable institutional policies, research-integrity requirements, journal policies, funding requirements, ethical standards, and disclosure requirements.
Some AI-enabled website functionality may depend upon third-party technologies, models, infrastructure, APIs, or service providers.
Where third-party services process information, their operation may also be subject to their respective terms, privacy practices, security arrangements, and applicable contractual safeguards.
Placeboes does not guarantee the continuous availability, performance, or behaviour of third-party AI technologies.
Placeboes may implement reasonable technical and administrative measures to protect AI-enabled services against misuse, unauthorized access, malicious activity, excessive automated requests, or threats to website security.
Technical interactions may be logged or monitored where reasonably necessary for security, troubleshooting, service improvement, legal compliance, or protection of the Foundation's systems, subject to applicable privacy requirements.
Unless explicitly disclosed in connection with a particular service, the public-facing AI systems on the Placeboes website are not used to make autonomous decisions producing significant effects concerning individuals.
Ask AI does not determine research participation, employment, collaboration, funding, clinical care, procurement, access to Foundation programmes, or similar institutional outcomes.
AI-generated responses may direct users to external publications, websites, resources, or third-party information.
The inclusion or retrieval of such material does not necessarily constitute endorsement by Placeboes Research Foundation.
Users should independently assess external sources and consult their applicable terms, policies, and original content.
AI-enabled features are provided on an evolving basis. Placeboes may modify, suspend, restrict, replace, or discontinue an AI feature when necessary for technical, scientific, ethical, security, operational, or regulatory reasons.
The capabilities and limitations of these systems may therefore change over time.
Use of AI-enabled website features should be read together with the Foundation's:
Where a more specific policy, research protocol, contractual obligation, or legal requirement applies, that requirement takes precedence for the activity concerned.
Artificial intelligence technologies and their regulatory environment continue to evolve. Placeboes may therefore revise this AI Use Policy periodically to reflect changes in technology, website functionality, institutional practices, ethical standards, or applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Material revisions will be published on this page together with an updated effective date.
Questions regarding this AI Use Policy or the operation of AI-enabled features on the Placeboes website may be directed to:
Placeboes Research Foundation
Email: info@placeboes.org
Website: www.placeboes.org