Terms of Use

Last updated: April 5, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using MeritForge AI (meritforgeai.com), including the AI Career Advisor, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to all of these terms, do not use this website or its services.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to use MeritForge AI and the AI Career Advisor. By using this service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these terms. MeritForge AI is designed for working-age adults seeking career guidance and is not intended for minors.

3. Nature of Service — Not Professional Advice

All content on MeritForge AI — including articles, guides, tool reviews, and AI Career Advisor responses — is provided for informational and educational purposes only. MeritForge AI:

  • Is not a licensed career counselor, employment agency, staffing firm, or professional advisor under any state or federal law
  • Does not provide professional career counseling, financial advice, legal advice, tax advice, or any other form of regulated professional guidance
  • Is not a substitute for consultation with qualified professionals for decisions that significantly impact your career, finances, or livelihood

Career counseling is a regulated profession in several U.S. states. The services provided by MeritForge AI do not constitute licensed career counseling under any jurisdiction.

4. AI-Generated Content

The MeritForge AI Career Advisor is powered by artificial intelligence (Anthropic's Claude). By using the AI Advisor, you understand and agree that:

  • AI can be wrong. AI systems can generate confident-sounding statements that are factually incorrect, outdated, or misleading. This is an inherent limitation of current AI technology.
  • Data becomes stale. Tool pricing, certification details, salary figures, job market data, and other information referenced by the AI may be outdated at the time you receive it. The AI's knowledge has a training data cutoff and may not reflect the most current information.
  • "AI Exposure Scores" are algorithmic estimates based on aggregated industry research. They are not individualized professional assessments and should not be treated as definitive evaluations of your career risk.
  • You must verify. You bear sole responsibility for independently verifying any data, recommendation, or claim made by the AI before making decisions based on it.

5. Financial Information Disclaimer

The AI Advisor and site content reference specific salary ranges, wage premiums, certification ROI figures, and other financial data. You acknowledge that:

  • All salary ranges and ROI figures are derived from aggregated third-party research (such as PwC, McKinsey, LinkedIn, Indeed) and represent broad market trends, not predictions of your individual outcomes
  • Individual results vary significantly based on location, experience level, industry, employer, economic conditions, and many other factors
  • No certification, tool, or career action is guaranteed to produce any specific financial result for you
  • Nothing on this site constitutes investment advice, financial planning, or any form of regulated financial guidance

6. No Guarantees

MeritForge AI makes no guarantees regarding:

  • Career outcomes from following any recommendations
  • Accuracy of salary figures, which vary by location, experience, and market conditions
  • Certification content, pricing, prerequisites, or availability, which are controlled by third-party providers and change frequently
  • Tool features, pricing, or availability, which may change without notice
  • The completeness, reliability, or timeliness of any information provided by the AI Advisor

7. User Content & Confidential Information

When you use the AI Career Advisor:

  • You retain ownership of all content you submit
  • You grant MeritForge AI a limited, non-exclusive license to process your inputs solely for the purpose of generating AI responses during your session
  • Do not share proprietary, confidential, or trade-secret information in the chat. MeritForge AI is not liable for any confidential information you voluntarily disclose
  • Conversation content is sent to Anthropic's API for processing and is not stored on MeritForge AI servers after your session ends

8. Affiliate Disclosure

MeritForge AI may earn commissions through affiliate links in both editorial content and AI Advisor recommendations. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial content, ratings, or the AI Advisor's recommendations. For more detail, see our Disclaimer page.

9. Intellectual Property

All original content on MeritForge AI — including text, graphics, logos, design, and the AI Advisor's proprietary frameworks (AI Exposure Score, Skills Gap Analysis, Action Plan Engine) — is the property of MeritForge AI and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without written permission.

10. Third-Party Content

MeritForge AI references and links to third-party products, services, and websites. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of these external resources. Product names, logos, and brands mentioned are property of their respective owners.

11. Usage Limits & Fair Use

The AI Advisor is subject to usage limits. Free users receive a limited number of messages per day. We reserve the right to modify usage limits, introduce or change paid tiers, or restrict access to prevent abuse at any time without prior notice.

12. Payment Terms

When paid features become available:

  • All prices are displayed in U.S. dollars (USD)
  • Message credits do not expire once purchased
  • Subscription plans auto-renew unless cancelled before the renewal date
  • We reserve the right to modify pricing with 30 days' notice to registered users
  • Refund policies will be posted at the time payment processing is enabled

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. MERITFORGE AI DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT ANY CONTENT, INCLUDING AI-GENERATED ADVICE, IS ACCURATE, RELIABLE, OR CURRENT.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, MERITFORGE AI AND ITS OWNERS, OPERATORS, AFFILIATES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

  • Lost profits or career opportunities
  • Salary differences or lost income
  • Costs of alternative professional advice
  • Damages from reliance on AI-generated salary data, certification recommendations, tool pricing, or career path advice
  • Any career or financial decisions made based on information from this site or the AI Advisor

IN NO EVENT SHALL MERITFORGE AI'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100) OR THE TOTAL AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU TO MERITFORGE AI IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MeritForge AI and its owners, operators, affiliates, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your use of the service; (b) your reliance on AI-generated advice; (c) your violation of these terms; or (d) your sharing of confidential, proprietary, or third-party information through the AI Advisor.

16. Dispute Resolution

Governing Law: These terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Informal Resolution: Before initiating any formal dispute resolution, you agree to first contact MeritForge AI and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least thirty (30) days.

Binding Arbitration: Any dispute not resolved informally shall be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in English.

Class Action Waiver: YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. You waive the right to participate in class actions or class-wide arbitration.

Small Claims Exception: Either party may bring qualifying claims in small claims court.

17. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Material changes will be indicated by updating the "Last updated" date. Continued use of the website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

18. Contact

For questions about these terms, please contact us at jeff@meritforgeai.com.