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How our AI works

Helira uses AI to help you make better energy decisions. Here is exactly how it works — no jargon, no hand-waving.

What AI model we use

Helira uses Claude Haiku by Anthropic. It is a fast, lightweight language model designed for real-time analysis. We chose it because it delivers accurate responses in under 2 seconds — fast enough for real-time fuel and EV recommendations.

We do not train our own AI model. We do not fine-tune on your data. We use Anthropic's model through their API, the same way you might use Google Maps through their API.

What data the AI uses

The AI analyses:

  • Real-time fuel prices from government APIs (NSW FuelCheck, QLD Open Data, WA FuelWatch)
  • EV specifications from publicly available manufacturer data
  • Solar irradiance data from the Bureau of Meteorology
  • Your search context (suburb, fuel type, vehicle) — only during that request

The AI does not have access to:

  • Your name, email, or account details
  • Your search history from previous sessions
  • Your location unless you share it for that specific search
  • Any other user's data — ever

How recommendations are generated

When you ask Helira for a fuel price prediction or EV recommendation, here is what happens:

  1. We gather the relevant data — current prices, historical trends, vehicle specs, energy costs for your state.
  2. We build a prompt — a structured question that includes the data and asks the AI to analyse it. Your personal info is never included.
  3. The AI responds — with analysis, numbers, and reasoning. It always explains why it reached its conclusion.
  4. We show you the result— including the AI's reasoning, so you can decide if it makes sense for your situation.

What guardrails are in place

  • No financial advice. Helira provides information and analysis. It does not recommend specific investments, financial products, or tell you what to buy.
  • Confidence disclaimers. When the AI is less certain (limited data, unusual patterns), it says so explicitly.
  • No hallucinated data. The AI only analyses data we provide it. It cannot make up fuel prices or invent EV specs.
  • Rate limiting. Each plan has defined AI usage limits to prevent abuse and keep costs sustainable.
  • No persistent memory. The AI does not remember previous conversations. Each request starts fresh.

How to report incorrect outputs

AI is not perfect. If you see a recommendation that looks wrong, a price that does not match reality, or anything that seems off:

  • Email us at hello@helira.com.au with a description of what went wrong
  • Include a screenshot if possible
  • We review every report and improve our prompts accordingly

We would rather you report a false positive than silently lose trust. Every report makes Helira better for everyone.