Terms of Service & Responsible AI Use

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of SmartEssay.ai (the "Service"). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

SmartEssay is an AI writing assistant for students and educators. The Service includes:

• Three generation modes — Essay (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning outlines and full sample drafts), Summary (structured summaries, including an APA 7 peer-reviewed article format with Introduction, Participants, Measurement Instrument, Results, and Critique sections), and Key Concepts (thematic maps with definitions).
• Real, verifiable quotes and citations in MLA or APA 7 format.
• Formatted PDF exports with proper heading, student title page, double-spaced body, and a Works Cited or References page. On-screen drafts use asterisks (*like this*) to mark italics; exported PDFs render them in true italics, and APA exports automatically italicize titles and journal names.
• Tone, reading level, evidences-per-claim, body-paragraph, and word-target controls; paraphrasing and polish tools.
• Essay Reviewer — paste or upload an existing draft (.txt, .md, .pdf, .docx) and get a structured report covering evidence gaps with real source quotes, a paragraph-by-paragraph flow map, and prioritized improvement ideas. Source material is optional.
• Voice dictation, drag-and-drop source uploads (.txt, .md, .pdf, .docx), and auto-saved history with search, filter, and bulk delete.
• Voice matching: optionally paste a writing sample or upload a voice or video recording so the AI mirrors your sentence length, vocabulary, contractions, and rhythm. You can save a permanent voice profile or override per essay.
• An anti-repetition guard that filters common AI-tell words and patterns on every generation, reviewer report, and tone rewrite.
• Account management, billing, and a free trial allotment before subscription is required.

Voice matching is optional and off by default. By uploading a writing sample, voice recording, or video recording, you confirm that the content is yours (or that you have permission to use it) and you grant SmartEssay a limited license to transcribe it and extract style signals — sentence length, vocabulary tier, contractions, favorite connectors, and tone — solely to generate drafts in your style.

We do not use voice or video samples for speaker identification, biometric authentication, advertising, or any purpose other than style matching for your own drafts. Original audio and video files are deleted after transcription unless you attach them to a saved voice profile. You can delete any saved profile, sample, or recording at any time from the My Voice settings.

You are solely responsible for:

• Reviewing, editing, and substantially revising any AI-generated content before submission.
• Verifying all quotes, citations, and sources against the original work.
• Disclosing AI assistance when required by your instructor, school, or publisher.
• Following your institution's academic integrity, plagiarism, and AI-use policies.
• Any consequences arising from misuse of generated material.

You agree not to use SmartEssay to:

• Submit AI-generated work as entirely your own where prohibited.
• Cheat on exams, certifications, or any assessment that disallows AI assistance.
• Generate unlawful, harassing, defamatory, or harmful content.
• Attempt to reverse engineer, scrape, or overload the Service.

You must provide accurate information when creating an account and keep your credentials secure. Paid plans are billed according to the pricing displayed at checkout. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled.

You retain ownership of the text you enter and of your final edited work. SmartEssay retains rights to the Service, its branding, and its underlying technology. You grant us a limited license to process your inputs solely to provide the Service.

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. AI output may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. To the maximum extent permitted by law, SmartEssay is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including academic, disciplinary, or professional consequences arising from your use of generated content.

We store the inputs and outputs associated with your account to provide history and improve quality. We do not sell personal data. For questions about your data or to request deletion, contact us via the link below.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the Service. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

SmartEssay is intended for users 13 and older. Users ages 13–17 must have parental or guardian consent and should use the service in accordance with their school's policies. Users under 13 are not permitted to create an account or use the Service.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on annual plans. Monthly plans can be canceled anytime — you keep access through the end of the billing period.

We offer FERPA-compliant licensing for schools and districts, including signed DPAs and volume pricing. Email nicole@tilt.university to start a conversation.

Questions about these Terms? Reach us through the contact page.