Questions

Anything we haven't answered? Email us at support@lifeloom.ai - we're happy to help.

About LifeLoom

Who is LifeLoom for?
Anyone with stories to tell - which is everyone. You can do it at any stage of life, for yourself or for someone you love. We just ask that every storyteller is over 18.
Is this for my own stories, or someone else's?
Either. Many people set it up for themselves. Many set it up for a mum, a dad or a grandparent. You don't have to write a word either way.
What makes LifeLoom different?
Your biographer draws out stories and points of view you wouldn't think to tell, and it asks about your life six ways - the years, the people, the places, the work, what you felt, and what you want remembered. No cookie-cutter questions.
How is it different to recording the conversations ourselves?
Your AI biographer asks the questions that draw out stories people don't think to tell: childhood memories, turning points, the moments that mattered and why. We handle the recording, write it up, and turn it into stories. You edit as much or as little as you like, to make the printed book and the digital memoir exactly how you want them.
How is this different to just using ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is good for a chat. LifeLoom's AI biographer rings you on a Thursday afternoon, picks up where you left off last week, keeps going for twenty conversations, and hands you a printed book at the end.

Talking to your biographer

Is it a real person who calls, or AI?
It's AI - and we're glad to say so. Your LifeLoom AI biographer calls your loved one, listens, and asks caring questions - remembering what was shared last time and the people who matter by name, following the thread call after call. It's not a person, and it's not a chatbot anyone has to operate; your loved one just answers the phone and talks. AI is what makes this possible - the patient attention that turns ordinary phone calls into chapters worth keeping. The stories are theirs; the book is your family's to keep, and the digital memoir stays online for as long as the $9/month hosting continues.
What is talking to an AI biographer like?
You might be surprised how much it's like talking to a person. Here's what two of our storytellers said:
“I ended the call with a smile on my face. I wasn't expecting that. It was really nice to have someone, or something, genuinely interested in what I had to say.”
- A LifeLoom storyteller
“It feels like talking to a human, and it asks me really insightful questions.”
- A LifeLoom storyteller
What if I'm asked a question I don't want to answer?
Just say so. Change the subject and talk about what you'd like to. An AI biographer never takes offence!
What if I say something I don't want to share?
Say so on the call, and your AI biographer will move on. And you can have anything taken out afterwards, at any time. If you set LifeLoom up yourself, you can set any story aside in your memoir. If a family member set it up, you can ask them - or just email us, and we'll take care of it.

Time and cost

How long does it take?
As long as you like. Each call with your AI biographer is about twenty minutes. Between calls you can add your photos, edit your stories, and watch your book come together.
What do I get for $349?
20 phone calls with your AI biographer, about twenty minutes each. One printed hardcover book. Your digital memoir, online for the first year. Extra calls, extra books and ongoing hosting are there if you want them.
What if 20 calls isn't enough?
Add more, 10 at a time, for $99.
Can I print extra books?
Yes. Extra copies are $100 each, and you can order them whenever you like.
Do we have to keep paying $9 a month?
No. After the first year it's entirely optional. Keeping it with us keeps the memoir a living thing: we host it securely, and your recordings and photos are mirrored nightly to a second data centre, the whole family can keep reading, listening and adding photos, you can keep editing and shaping the stories, order new editions of the printed book as it grows, and add packs of extra calls when there's a new chapter of life to tell. Or download the stories and photos and look after the files yourself - and if you ever stop, you'll have at least 90 days to take everything with you first. The printed book is yours regardless.

Family and gifts

Can other family members get involved?
Yes, if you'd like. You can invite brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren - wherever they live - to read along and add their own photos. You choose who's in.
What if they don't want to do it?
That's completely okay. Some people need a little time to warm up to the idea. An emailed gift can be claimed for 12 months from purchase, and a printed gift card for 36, so there's no rush.
Is it appropriate as a memorial gift?
Yes. Many families use LifeLoom to capture the stories of a surviving partner after a loss. It gives them a meaningful way to honour their loved one’s memory and keep the shared history. Every call is gentle and unhurried, and your storyteller is always in control - they choose the topics, set the pace, and can pause whenever they like.

Safety and privacy

Is my information safe?
With LifeLoom, your family’s stories, recordings and photos are stored in Australia - the database, files and encrypted backups are all hosted in Sydney, held by an Australian business. Some parts of the service, like the AI voice tools, are run by trusted overseas partners - every one of them is listed in our Privacy Policy. Our Privacy Policy spells out, in plain language, exactly what we collect, who receives it, and the controls you have.
What if I'm not good with technology?
You don't need to be. On the phone there's nothing to learn - you just talk. Setting it up online takes about ten minutes, and if you'd like a hand, email us.

More questions

Is there an Australian version of Storyworth?
Australia has its own service: LifeLoom, made in Sydney - 20 guided phone calls, and the biographer is a friendly AI that listens. The conversations are woven into a hardcover heirloom book printed in Australia that the family keeps, plus a digital memoir everyone can read together. For an honest, dated comparison with Storyworth, Remento and others, see our comparison page.
How soon do we see something?
The first stories appear in the family's digital memoir within the first couple of calls - written, readable, and ready to share. The heirloom book takes shape from there, call by call.
How does the call know what to ask?
When you set up the storyteller profile, you share a short outline of their life - where they grew up, who matters to them, what they care about. The call uses that to ask informed, specific questions and to follow the thread when something interesting comes up. Each call remembers what was said in the last one, so the conversation keeps building.
Does my parent need to learn an app?
No. There is no app to install, no screen to navigate, no login. The AI biographer calls them on the phone at a time you choose with them, and they talk the way they always have. The technical setup is on your end - usually under ten minutes - not theirs.
Isn't it impersonal to use an AI for something so personal?
We understand the worry - but this was never a shortcut for time you'd rather not spend. It's around 20 unhurried phone conversations, recorded and woven into a printed book: a long, in-depth project most families never get to on their own, because few of us are biographers or have the tools to turn talk into an heirloom. The usual services still ask the storyteller to sit and write; LifeLoom asks nothing of them but to pick up the phone and talk. And far from being cold, it can do the opposite: our founder's mum began ringing her sister to compare memories, and dug out old family photos the family hadn't seen in years. You shape the result, too: edit any story, add your own photos, decide what's kept. The patient work of capturing it happens either way; the meaning stays entirely yours.
What does the package cost?
Price: $349 AUD. After the first year, keeping the memoir online is optional - $9 a month, for as long as you choose - every story, voice recording and photo there for your family. And you can download the stories and photos at any time - it's yours.