SciencePal

Terms and Conditions

Last Updated: 5 November 2025

Welcome to SciencePal!

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") apply to your access and use of SciencePal and the associated software applications and websites (collectively, "Services") provided by the Hong Kong Institute of AI for Science ("HKAI-SCI", "we" or "us").

These Terms form a binding agreement between HKAI-SCI and you or the entity you represent ("you"). By registering an account for or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Who Are We?

HKAI-SCI is a research institute at the City University of Hong Kong ("CityUHK") dedicated to advancing the frontiers of artificial intelligence (AI) and its application in scientific discovery and technological innovation. Our mission is to foster an international hub for interdisciplinary research, integrating AI with fields such as biology, chemistry, and material science to create impactful technologies.

As part of this mission, we provide the SciencePal. SciencePal is a platform designed to assist your research tasks by enabling you to access and interact with a variety of third-party AI models ("Third-Party AI Models"). HKAI-SCI does not create or control these Third-Party AI Models and is not responsible for the services, content, or accuracy of the outputs generated by these Third-Party AI Models.

2. Registration and Access

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Services. To use the Services, you must create an account by providing an email address and creating a password. You agree to provide accurate information and are responsible for all activities that occur under your account. You must keep your password confidential and secure.

3. Use of the Services

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a revocable, non-transferable, non-sublicensable and non-exclusive right to use the Services. You agree to use the Services in accordance with these Terms and all applicable laws.

(a) Acknowledgement

You acknowledge and agree that:

• For Reference Only. The Services are intended for research assistance and informational purposes only. The Output (as defined below) does not constitute professional advice (e.g., legal, financial, or medical advice), and you should not rely on it as such.
• Inaccuracies and Errors. The Output may be inaccurate, incomplete, offensive, or outdated. HKAI-SCI makes no guarantees about the quality, accuracy, or reliability of any Output. You are solely responsible for critically evaluating and independently verifying all Output before relying on it.
• Modification of Services. The Services are subject to change over time. HKAI-SCI reserves the right to modify, update, or discontinue any part of the Services, including features, functionalities, and access to specific Third-Party AI Models, at our sole discretion and without prior notice.
• Similar Output. Outputs may not be unique and may be similar to outputs provided to others. To the extent Outputs comprise or include material generated by third parties or by Third‑Party AI Models, we do not assign any third‑party rights to you. You are responsible for determining whether your use of the Output is permitted and for obtaining any necessary rights.
• Optional Feedback. After an Output is generated, we may provide a QR code for you to join a user feedback group on a third-party platform (e.g., WeChat). Your participation in this group is voluntary. By scanning the QR code and joining the user feedback group, you agree to adhere to the terms and policies of the third-party platform. HKAI-SCI may use the information you provide to optimise and iterate the Services. HKAI-SCI disclaims all liability for any data processing, security breaches, or other actions or omissions by the third-party platform.
• Third-Party Policies. Your use of the Services and the Third-Party AI Models or any other third-party platforms accessed through the Services is subject to the terms, policies and usage restrictions of third-party service providers ("Third-Party Policies"). The Third-Party Policies applicable are incorporated by reference into these Terms and form part of your agreement with us and, where applicable, with the relevant third party. On request, we will provide you with a copy (or link to the then-current Third-Party Policies applicable to your use).

(b) Use Restrictions

You agree that you will not use, or allow others to use, the Services to:

• Violate Laws or Rights. Engage in any activity that is illegal, fraudulent, deceptive, or that violates or infringes upon the rights of any third party, including intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights.
• Create Harmful Content. Generate, upload, or transmit any content that is hateful, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory, or that promotes violence or illegal acts.
• Engage in High-Risk Activities. Use the Services for any high-risk purpose where failure could lead to death, personal injury, or severe economic or environmental damage, without independent verification by a qualified professional.
• Engage in Regulated Activities. Use the Services for any activity subject to specific regulatory approvals, including but not limited to medical diagnosis or treatment, clinical decision support, legal advice to clients, financial investment recommendations, credit scoring, employment screening, biometric identification, or surveillance.
• Input Unauthorised Information. Provide any personal data or any confidential or proprietary information that you do not have the right to use.
• Misrepresent Output. Falsely represent that any Output was generated by a human or is your own original work.
• Reverse-Engineering or Disruption. Reverse engineer, decompile, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying components of the Services or the Third-Party AI Models. In addition, you shall not interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Services such as by introducing any malware, virus, spyware, or similar computer code.
• Develop Competing Services. Use the Services or their Output to develop, train, or improve any competing artificial intelligence or machine learning models or services.
• Scrape or Extract Data. Use any automated means, such as web scraping or web harvesting, to extract data from the Services.
• Export Control. Use the Services in breach of export control, re‑export, or sanctions laws applicable in Hong Kong or any other applicable jurisdiction, or if you are a sanctioned person or located in a comprehensively sanctioned jurisdiction.

4. Content and Intellectual Property

(a) Your Content. As between you and HKAI-SCI, and to the extent permitted by law, you retain ownership of the prompts, materials, and other information you provide to the Services ("Input"), as well as the content generated by the Services in response to your Input ("Output"). You are responsible for the Output and its subsequent use, and you represent and warrant that you have all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions to provide your Input to the Services, for HKAI-SCI to use your Input as provided in these Terms, and for you to use in connection with your use of the Services.

(b) Use of Your Content. You grant HKAI-SCI a worldwide, non-exclusive, transferrable, royalty-free, sublicensable license to access, copy, and use your Input and Output to provide, maintain, and improve the Services. This includes the right to provide your Input to Third-Party AI Models to generate Output.

(c) Intellectual Property. The intellectual property rights in and to the Services are owned by or licensed to HKAI-SCI, or if any part is provided by a third-party, it is owned by or licensed to that third-party.

(d) Prohibition on Personal Data or Sensitive Data. Your Input must not contain any: (i) personal data or any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual, whether directly or indirectly; or (ii) special categories of data or sensitive information, including, without limitation, health data, biometric identifiers, data concerning minors, or information subject to confidentiality protection.

5. Privacy & Monitoring

Our collection and use of your personal data are governed by our Personal Information Collection Statement ("PICS"), which can be found here: https://sciencepal.ai/agreements/HKAI-SCI_Personal%20Information%20Collection%20Statement.html. By registering an account for or using the Services, you also agree to the data practices described in our PICS.

We may retain Inputs/Outputs and logs for compliance, security, and backup for a reasonable period. We have no obligation to return or delete data where prohibited by law or where it has been irretrievably anonymised or aggregated. We may preserve data and account information if we believe it is reasonably necessary in connection with actual or anticipated legal proceedings.

6. Termination and Suspension

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your use or access to the Services, at our sole discretion, at any time and without prior notice. Grounds for suspension or termination include, but are not limited to: (a) a breach of these Terms; (b) any use of the Services that may cause harm to HKAI-SCI, CityUHK, other users, or any third party; (c) a request from law enforcement or other government agencies; (d) technical issues or security concerns; or (e) comply with law or third‑party requests or upon receipt of alleged infringement or misuse notices.

Further, we reserve the right to permanently discontinue all or any part of the Services at any time. Where reasonably practicable, we will provide you with advance notice of any permanent discontinuation of the Services.

Upon termination, all rights and licenses granted to you under these Terms will immediately cease. All sections of these Terms which by their nature should survive termination will remain in effect, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty, disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

7. Disclaimers

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE". TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, HKAI-SCI AND CITYUHK DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. HKAI-SCI AND CITYUHK DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ACCURATE, ERROR-FREE OR FIT FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE SECURE OR COMPATIBLE WITH YOUR SYSTEMS, OR THAT YOUR INPUT OR ANY OUTPUT WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO LOSS OR DAMAGE. YOU USE THE SERVICES AND ANY OUTPUT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED WITHOUT SERVICE-LEVEL COMMITMENTS.

8. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER HKAI-SCI NOR CITYUHK WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU UNDER ANY CAUSE OF ACTION FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS OR REVENUES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES.

TO THE EXTENT LIABILITY CANNOT BE EXCLUDED, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF HKAI‑SCI AND CITYUHK FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE SERVICES IS LIMITED TO HK$100, EXCLUDING LIABILITIES THAT CANNOT BE LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless HKAI-SCI, CityUHK, their affiliates and their officers, directors, staff members, contractors or students from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses arising out of or related to: your use of the Services, your Input (including but not limited to alleged infringement, breach of confidence, privacy violations), your use of the Output, your breach of Third-Party Policies or your violation of these Terms.

10. General Terms

(a) Governing Law. These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

(b) Dispute Resolution. The parties irrevocably agree that the courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with these Terms or their subject matter or formation.

(c) Modifications. We reserve the right to review and change these Terms and the PICS referred to in Section 5 above from time to time. Please visit our website for the latest Terms and PICS regularly. Your continued use of the Services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms and PICS.

(d) Contact. For questions about these Terms, please contact us at iaissciencepal@cityu.edu.hk.