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AI Disclaimer

Artificial Intelligence Disclaimer

Last updated: May 2026

RealTeasy (Pty) Ltd ("PetGuru", "we", "us", or "our") uses artificial intelligence ("AI") technologies across certain features of our platform located at petguru.co.za (the "Platform"). This AI Disclaimer explains how AI is used, its limitations, and your responsibilities when interacting with AI-powered features.

By using any AI-powered feature on the Platform, you acknowledge and accept the terms set out in this Disclaimer. This Disclaimer forms part of our Terms & Conditions and should be read together with our Privacy Policy and POPIA Notice.

1. How We Use Artificial Intelligence

PetGuru integrates AI technologies to enhance your experience on the Platform. AI may be used in the following areas, among others:

  • Pet Care Guidance: General information about pet breeds, care routines, nutrition, behaviour, and training tips.
  • Breed Recommendations: Suggesting suitable breeds based on your lifestyle preferences, living situation, and experience level.
  • Content Generation: Assisting in the creation of educational articles, product descriptions, and informational content published on the Platform.
  • Search & Discovery: Improving search relevance and personalising content, listings, and product recommendations based on your activity and preferences.
  • Customer Support: Providing automated responses to common enquiries and assisting our support team in resolving issues more efficiently.
  • Fraud & Safety Detection: Identifying potentially fraudulent listings, suspicious activity, or content that violates our Community Guidelines.
  • Identity & Document Verification: Reading and assessing the documents, ID details, facial image, registration numbers, and business address you submit for Verified status, and producing a risk assessment to help us decide whether to approve an application. See section 4A.
  • Marketplace Insights: Offering sellers analytics, pricing suggestions, and performance insights powered by AI models.

2. AI Is Not a Substitute for Professional Advice

AI-generated content on the Platform is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute and must never be relied upon as:

  • Veterinary or medical advice. AI cannot diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any animal. If your pet is unwell, injured, or showing signs of distress, you must consult a qualified veterinarian immediately. PetGuru's AI features are not a replacement for professional veterinary care.
  • Legal, financial, or tax advice. Any information related to pet ownership regulations, import/export requirements, or business operations on the Platform should be verified with a qualified professional.
  • Breeding or genetic advice. AI-generated breed information is general in nature. Breeding decisions should be made in consultation with qualified breeders, breed associations (such as KUSA or SABBS), and veterinary geneticists.
  • Emergency guidance. In a pet emergency, contact your nearest emergency veterinarian or animal emergency service immediately. Do not rely on AI for time-critical medical decisions.

3. Accuracy & Limitations of AI

While we strive to ensure that AI-generated content is helpful and accurate, you acknowledge that:

  • AI can produce inaccurate or incomplete information. AI models generate responses based on patterns in training data and may occasionally produce errors, outdated information, or content that does not apply to your specific circumstances.
  • AI does not understand context fully. AI cannot assess your pet's individual health history, temperament, or unique needs the way a qualified professional can.
  • AI-generated content may change. As AI models are updated and improved, responses to the same query may differ over time.
  • AI outputs are not guaranteed. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of any AI-generated content for any particular purpose.
  • AI may reflect biases. AI models can inadvertently reflect biases present in their training data. We actively work to identify and mitigate such biases but cannot guarantee their complete elimination.

4. Third-Party AI Providers

PetGuru uses third-party AI services, including large language models provided by external providers, to power certain features. When you interact with AI-powered features:

  • Your inputs (such as questions or search queries) may be processed by these third-party AI services to generate responses.
  • We do not send personal identifying information (such as your name, email, or account details) to third-party AI providers unless strictly necessary and disclosed in our Privacy Policy. The principal disclosed exception is our identity-verification programme, described in section 4A below.
  • Third-party AI providers are contractually bound to handle data in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including POPIA.
  • PetGuru does not use your personal data or interactions to train third-party AI models.

4A. AI in Identity & Document Verification

Our Verified programme relies on AI and automated processing to fight pet scams. When you apply as a breeder or professional and submit verification information, the following automated processing takes place — only after you give explicit consent (see our POPIA Notice):

  • Document analysis (OCR): Images of your ID and certificates are sent to a third-party AI vision service that reads them, checks they appear genuine, and extracts key fields so we can compare them with what you provided.
  • Facial comparison: If you provide a selfie, it is compared one-to-one against the photograph on your ID using a third-party facial-recognition service to confirm you are the document holder.
  • Risk assessment: A large language model reviews the combined results (identity, documents, registration, address, and behavioural signals) and produces a structured risk score and recommendation.

Because verification inherently requires it, this is the disclosed exception to the general position in section 4: your ID document, certificates, and facial image are processed by these third-party providers, strictly for verification. These providers act as our operators under POPIA, do not use your data to train their models, and (in the case of facial comparison) do not retain or index your face. Your ID number is only ever stored by us as an irreversible hash. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.

Automated Decisions & Your Right to Review

Based on this assessment, low-risk applications may be approved and clearly fraudulent ones declined automatically, while borderline cases are referred to a human reviewer. As required by Section 71 of POPIA, you are not subject to a solely-automated decision with significant effect without recourse: if your application is declined, you may correct your information and resubmit, and a member of our team will review it. AI assists our decision — it is not the final authority.

5. Data Processing & Privacy

Your interactions with AI-powered features may be logged and stored to improve service quality, monitor for misuse, and enhance the user experience. This data is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

You have the right to:

  • Request access to any personal data processed through AI features.
  • Request correction or deletion of your data in accordance with POPIA.
  • Opt out of non-essential AI-powered features where technically feasible.
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your data has been processed unlawfully.

6. Your Responsibilities

When using AI-powered features on the Platform, you agree to:

  • Exercise your own judgement. AI-generated content should be considered as one input among many. Always verify important information independently, especially when it relates to your pet's health or safety.
  • Not misuse AI features. You must not use AI-powered features to generate harmful, misleading, defamatory, or illegal content, or to circumvent Platform rules and safeguards.
  • Understand that AI is a tool, not an authority. PetGuru provides AI features as a convenience. The ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding your pets, purchases, and interactions on the Platform rests with you.
  • Report issues. If you encounter AI-generated content that is clearly inaccurate, harmful, or inappropriate, please report it to us at our contact page so we can investigate and improve.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, PetGuru, its directors, employees, partners, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from:

  • Your use of or reliance on AI-generated content.
  • Any decisions made based on AI-generated information, including but not limited to decisions relating to pet health, breeding, purchasing, or care.
  • Errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in AI-generated responses.
  • Any loss or harm to animals, property, or persons resulting from reliance on AI-generated content.

Nothing in this Disclaimer excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) or other applicable South African legislation.

8. Transparency & Human Oversight

PetGuru is committed to responsible AI use. We maintain human oversight of AI-powered features and regularly review AI outputs for quality and accuracy. Where AI is used to generate content that is published on the Platform, our editorial team reviews and verifies the content before publication.

We will clearly indicate where AI is being used to generate or assist in generating content, so you can make informed decisions about the information you receive.

9. Updates to This Disclaimer

We may update this AI Disclaimer from time to time to reflect changes in our AI practices, technology, or applicable laws. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the Disclaimer was last revised. Continued use of AI-powered features after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Disclaimer.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about our use of AI, please contact us through our Contact Page.