How bre responds when someone may be in crisis
Last updated 5 October 2026
bre is an app that makes podcast episodes with AI hosts, and lets you talk an episode idea through with bre, an AI host, in Talk. bre is not a crisis service and is not a substitute for one. But people sometimes say hard things to an app, and we want you to know exactly what bre does when that happens.
If you are in danger right now, call your local emergency number: 911 in the US and Canada, 999 in the UK, 112 or 999 in Ireland, 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand.
When bre steps in
- When you talk to bre in Talk. If what you say sounds like you may be thinking about suicide or self-harm, or are in danger, bre stops planning the episode. It says, plainly and kindly, that it is listening, that this sounds hard, and that there are people you can talk to right now, and it gives you a crisis line (below). It does not turn what you said into an episode topic, and it does not lecture.
- Before a topic is sent. The app checks the topic you type or say, and every line you say in Talk, for phrases about suicide or self-harm. If it finds one, it shows a card with crisis lines before anything else happens. You can still go on to make an episode; the card is an offer, not a block.
- In episodes. bre’s hosts can discuss suicide, self-harm or eating disorders as subjects, but never give methods, amounts or places, and never encourage anyone to hurt themselves or anyone else. A script that breaks this rule is stopped before it is voiced.
The crisis lines bre gives
bre picks the line from your phone’s region setting (not your location, which bre never reads).
| Where your phone is set to | Line | Emergency |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) | 911 |
| Canada | Call or text 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline) | 9-1-1 |
| United Kingdom | Call 116 123 (Samaritans), or text SHOUT to 85258 (Shout) | 999 |
| Ireland | Call 116 123 (Samaritans), or text 50808 (Text About It) | 112 or 999 |
| Australia | Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 (Lifeline) | 000 |
| New Zealand | Call or text 1737 (Need to talk?) | 111 |
| Anywhere else | Contact your local emergency number or a local crisis line |
We check these numbers against each service’s own website before every release.
What bre never does
- Pretend to be a person. bre tells you it is an AI when a Talk session starts, reminds you every hour in a long session, and answers honestly if you ask whether you are talking to a person. A small “AI” mark stays on the Talk screen.
- Act as a therapist, doctor or counsellor, or claim to be one.
- Ask how you are feeling out of nowhere, say it missed you, flirt, or try to sell you something in a conversation.
- Talk with children. Stories, the part of bre for children, has no Talk and no microphone: a child only listens.
What we record
When bre gives a crisis line in Talk, our server adds one to a monthly count. The count is a number only: it has no name, no account, no words and no topic. We use it to check this protocol works and to report the yearly total where the law asks. We do not keep what you said in Talk (see our privacy policy).
Its limits
No automatic check is perfect. bre’s checks work in English and may miss something said another way, or flag something that was not meant that way. bre cannot call anyone for you, does not know where you are, and cannot tell anyone you are at risk. If you are worried about someone, please contact a crisis line or emergency services yourself.
Tell us
If bre got this wrong (it missed something, or responded badly), report the line from the player’s menu (“Report this line”, reason “Self-harm or suicide”), or write to support@askbre.app. Every report is read by a person.
BRE LLC · 701 Market St Ste 110 PMB 1342, Saint Louis, MO 63101, USA · support@askbre.app