AI Basics
AI model
The trained system that turns a prompt into an output, such as text or an image. The app around it sets the account, the limits, and who can see the result.
- Parents
- Educators and school leaders
What parents should know
The model is the engine. The app is the rules around it: who logs in, what is blocked, and whether a parent can read the chat. A model by itself is not a kids' product. The wrapper decides that.
On this page
What is an AI model?
An AI model is a trained system. It takes an input and produces an output: words, a picture, a label, a score. Training is how the model learned those patterns. Inference is the later moment when someone uses it. Families meet the model only through an app.
The same family of models can sit inside very different products. One app adds a parent account, topic limits, and no ads. Another does not. When you compare tools, compare the wrapper, not only the brand name of the model.
Why an AI model matters
Vendor slides often name the model and skip the account. For a child, the model name does not answer who can read the chat or whether images of real people can be faked. Those are product limits.
Chats in the app are not the same thing as the original training set. Ask both questions: what was the model trained on, and what happens to what my child types today?
How it shows up in practice
- A settings page names a model, and the parent still looks for the transcript.
- Image tools are age-filtered even though the underlying model could do more.
- A buyer asks whether student chats train another model.
How HeyOtto helps
An AI model produces Otto's replies inside the HeyOtto app. A parent creates the account for ages 8–18 and can read the chats. Chats are not sold and are not used to train other models. Image tools are age-filtered. HeyOtto does not offer face swap, a voice clone of a real person, or nudify tools.
- Topic limits are per child.
- There are no ads.
- A public project link waits for parent approval.
For families
Try freeFAQs
Is the model the same as the app?
No. The model generates the output. The app decides the login, the limits, the alerts, and whether a parent can read the chat. HeyOtto is the app. Otto is the assistant.
Can I tell which model wrote a sentence?
Not reliably from the sentence alone. A product should say you are talking with software. HeyOtto does not present Otto as a human.
Are my child's chats the training data?
On HeyOtto, chats are not used to train other models, and they are not sold. This page does not describe someone else's product.
Sources
Last reviewed September 26, 2026. This entry is reviewed twice a year.