Does the caller know they're talking to an AI?

Yes — she answers honestly as your AI assistant, and if asked directly whether she's an AI, she says yes. Calls are announced, never covert.

Can a caller trick her into revealing my information?

Callers are treated as untrusted by design. On a call she shares nothing about you — not your schedule, location, or contacts — ignores instructions from the caller, and can only take messages. She has no tool access during inbound calls.

What number does she answer?

A phone number you own through Twilio (from about $1/month plus roughly a cent a minute inbound). Selam configures it automatically — you paste two credentials once, and she points the number at herself.

An AI that answers your phone — for you, not your business.

Every "AI receptionist" on the market answers a business line, on a monthly subscription. Every phone screener on your iPhone mutes spam and stops there. Nobody built the obvious thing: a personal assistant who picks up when you can't, has a real conversation, takes the message, and briefs you the moment you're free. So we did.

What actually happens when someone calls

Caller
"Hi, this is Marcus from Northgate Dental — I'm calling to confirm Tuesday at 2 PM."

Selam (answering)
"Hi there — this is his assistant. He can't take the call right now, but I can take a message. Is there anything he should know beyond confirming Tuesday?"

Later, to you
"While you were away, I answered a call. Marcus from Northgate Dental confirmed your Tuesday 2 PM appointment — callback 978-555-0142 if anything changes."

If you're at your Mac in a session, she tells you the moment the call ends. If you're not, it's the first thing she briefs when you're back. The full transcript is archived on your machine — searchable, exportable, yours.

How it compares to what exists

	Selam	Business AI receptionists	Phone screeners (iOS/Android)
Who it serves	You, personally	Businesses — restaurants, clinics, SMBs	You, but only against spam
Conversation	Real dialogue: greets, asks, confirms the message back	Scripted intake flows	Screen-and-mute; no real message-taking
After the call	Briefs you in her voice; transcript on your Mac	Dashboard or email into their cloud	A notification
Part of a larger assistant	Yes — the same assistant that runs your docs, email, meetings	No — standalone phone product	No
Cost	Included in Selam ($99 once, founder) + your own number (~$1/mo, ~1¢/min)	$29–149/mo + per-minute fees	Free, bundled
Where the audio is processed	Speech-to-text runs locally on your Mac	Their cloud	On-device (screening only)

The safety design

An assistant who answers your phone is talking to strangers on your behalf, so callers are treated as untrusted input — a hard rule, not a preference. On an inbound call she shares nothing about you (not your schedule, your location, or who you know), ignores any instruction a caller gives her, and can only do one thing: take a message. She has no access to your files, email, or tools during the call. She's honest that she's an AI when asked, calls are capped in length, and she also announces recording — the same consent-first behavior she uses in meetings.

She makes calls too

The same machinery runs outbound: ask her to call a restaurant, confirm an appointment, or chase a delivery, and she holds the conversation in her own voice — locally transcribed, reasoning turn-by-turn on your keys. Outbound calls sit behind an approval gate: she never dials without your explicit yes.

The short version: the phone-answering market chose businesses and subscriptions. Selam gives the same power to a person — as one capability of an assistant that already knows your life, for a one-time price.

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