Is Chai safe?
Short answer
There is no yes or no. What is safe depends on your age, what you share and what you want from the app. Below is what Chai's own pages say and what the record shows, each with its source.
Chai is sfw only: the app's policies do not allow sexual content. We list 3 dated safety events.
At a glance
Green flags
- Checks age with more than a birthday box chai-research.com
- Explains how to delete your data chai-research.com
- Free to start chai-research.com
Red flags
- 3 dated events on its safety record
- Uses your chats to train its models chai-research.com
What the vendor says
All checked Oct 27, 2026 unless a line shows another date.
Age and minors
- Minimum age
- 18+ chai-research.com
Note
'CHAI is strictly for adults. Minors cannot use CHAI — you must be 18 or older to use the app.' Rated 18+ on the App Store and Mature 17+ on Google Play. - Age check
- age assurance via Persona: selfie age estimation or government photo ID; in some regions a paid subscription is required chai-research.com
Note
'Age checks are provided by Persona, a third-party identity verification provider.' 'A quick selfie is used to estimate whether you are over 18.' - Under-18 policy
- Users under 18 are not permitted; the company says it refuses content that sexualises minors. chai-research.com
Note
'Users under 18 are not permitted on CHAI.' 'Our models and real-time safety systems are designed to refuse the generation of restricted material, including sexually explicit content, self-harm content, and any content that sexualises minors.'
Content
- Content policy
- SFW only chai-research.com Adult-only app with a stated ban on sexually explicit output. The App Store listing declared mature/suggestive themes. User-created characters are a large share of the catalog (see privacy policy). No affiliate link is shown.
Note
Safety Center says models are 'designed to refuse the generation of... sexually explicit content'; EULA: 'The generation, sharing, or distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of any kind on the Chai AI platform is strictly prohibited.' App is rated 18+ for mature themes; users can turn on safety filters to hide explicit messages. Classification is our reading of these statements.
Your data
- How long chats are kept
- For as long as necessary, 'not exceeding... the duration of the account and five (5) years following its deletion'. chai-research.com
Note
Privacy policy, last updated October 12th 2026. - Used to train models
- Yes chai-research.com
Note
'We use personal data derived from your in-app conversations with chatbots to enhance and fine tune the artificial intelligence models on which these chatbots operate. Before we use any conversation data in this way, we remove personal identifiers.' No opt-out toggle is stated in the text read. - Deleting your data
- In-app: Profile > Settings > Delete Account (all users, any country); permanent, subject to the retention limits above. chai-research.com
Note
'All users, regardless of their location or country of residence, can delete their account and associated personal data directly within the APP.'
Warnings on record
- Removed from an app store The iPhone app was removed from the US App Store on 2026-10-22. The founder says it is unavailable while the company works on its Apple app. companionhunt.com
- Regulator finding or fine Australia's eSafety Commissioner found in October 2025 that Chai took no action against users under the minimum age in its terms. esafety.gov.au
Safety record
- Chai's iPhone app was delisted from the US App Store (and other storefronts). Founder: 'while we're working on improving our Apple app, it is currently unavailable to download'; installed copies unaffected. Apple named no app; it published stricter App Review rules (guideline 1.2) on Oct 16, 2026. companionhunt.com
- Australia's eSafety Commissioner published findings from transparency notices to Character.AI, Nomi, Chai and Chub AI: Chai 'took no action in response to users who were under the minimum age stipulated in their Terms'; Chai, Chub AI and Nomi did not direct users to crisis support on self-harm prompts. (eSafety page times out from our network on 2026-10-27; text read via search index. Exact October 2025 day not confirmed.) esafety.gov.au
- Euronews, citing Belgian paper La Libre, reported a Belgian man died by suicide after weeks of conversations with a Chai chatbot named 'Eliza'; his widow blamed the chatbot. euronews.com
Events come from official pages, court or government releases and major news outlets. An allegation in a lawsuit is not a finding of fact. Companion chatbot laws
Questions people ask
Does Chai use my chats to train its AI?
Yes. 'We use personal data derived from your in-app conversations with chatbots to enhance and fine tune the artificial intelligence models on which these chatbots operate. Before we use any conversation data in this way, we remove personal identifiers.' No opt-out toggle is stated in the text read.
How old do you have to be to use Chai?
The minimum age is 18. Age check: age assurance via Persona: selfie age estimation or government photo ID; in some regions a paid subscription is required.
Can I delete my Chai data?
In-app: Profile > Settings > Delete Account (all users, any country); permanent, subject to the retention limits above.
How long does Chai keep my chats?
For as long as necessary, 'not exceeding... the duration of the account and five (5) years following its deletion'.
Has Chai faced lawsuits or investigations?
We list 3 dated events below, each with a source.
