Note Designer’s Ethical AI
Our Commitment to Ethical AI
An Official Statement from Note Designer Inc.
At Note Designer Inc., we believe that the use of artificial intelligence in clinical practice demands more than just technological innovation—it demands ethical responsibility. As a company founded, owned, and operated by licensed clinicians with decades of experience in psychotherapy and healthcare, we are committed to setting the highest standard for the responsible use of AI in mental health documentation.
We proudly define and uphold the principles of what we call Ethical AI.
What Is Ethical AI?
Ethical AI means:
- No Recording or Transcription of Sessions: We do not—and will never—“listen in” on therapy sessions. Our AI does not rely on recordings, transcripts, or real-time data capture. We believe that such practices fundamentally compromise the therapeutic process, the clinician-patient relationship, and the trust that forms its foundation.
- No Patient Data Storage: Information entered into Note Designer is never stored, mined, or repurposed for training. Our AI does not learn from your notes.
- No Exposure to Third Parties: Unlike many platforms that route your input through external systems such as OpenAI or other vendors, our AI operates through a private, secure model hosted on HIPAA-compliant servers. This ensures that Protected Health Information (PHI) remains confidential and insulated from commercial AI systems.
- No Algorithmic Intrusion into Clinical Work: We view AI as a supportive tool, not a clinical authority. Clinicians maintain full control over their documentation. The AI supports your professional judgment; it does not override or replace it.
We built this system with intention: to serve clinicians without compromising ethics, client confidentiality, or professional integrity.
Why It Matters
Many current AI-powered tools—including those embedded within EHR systems—record, transcribe, or analyze sessions in real-time, often with the goal of generating notes automatically. While convenient, these practices raise serious ethical concerns. When clinicians surrender control of their documentation to such systems, they may inadvertently violate both HIPAA guidelines and the principles of professional ethics that govern therapeutic practice.
We urge clinicians to reflect on the long-term consequences of outsourcing clinical reasoning to commercial algorithms, and to recognize the risks of commodifying the therapeutic hour. There is no shortcut to thoughtful, ethical documentation.
Our Promise
At Note Designer, we refuse to cut corners. Our mission is to empower clinicians to write faster, better notes while protecting the integrity of their work and their relationships with clients. Our software is designed by clinicians, for clinicians—grounded in a deep respect for the profession and the people it serves.
We stand firm in our commitment to Ethical AI, and we invite you to read our blog post on why listening-based AI undermines the very heart of therapy.
Looking for an alternative approach to AI scribes? Learn about Note Designer’s AI-assisted therapy notes without recording. Prefer to avoid AI altogether? Note Designer Classic offers our original non-AI documentation software.
Patricia Csank Baldwin, Ph.D. FIPA
Clinical Psychologist
President
Note Designer Inc.
