AI-assisted visual feedback is educational guidance only and is not always accurate. A photograph cannot confirm code compliance, structural integrity, internal fusion, penetration, or test results, and it is no substitute for hands-on inspection. Have a qualified instructor or inspector evaluate any weld that matters.
Educational use only
ArcForge is a welding education and skills-practice platform, and every AI analysis result it produces exists for educational and practice purposes only. AI feedback, practice scores, lessons, quizzes, certification-prep material, and any other output are learning aids — they are not weld inspection, nondestructive or visual testing (NDT/VT), engineering judgment, code-compliance determination, qualification, certification, or professional, safety, employment, medical, or legal advice, and nothing they say guarantees the quality or safety of any weld.
You must never rely on any result for a real-world acceptance, structural, safety, hiring, qualification, or compliance decision. ArcForge is currently an invite-only pilot (beta), which makes this even more important: the Service is still being refined, and its output should always be confirmed by an instructor or a qualified inspector before it informs anything that carries consequences.
What AI analysis is
When you submit a photograph of a weld together with details about it, ArcForge uses an AI vision model to describe the visible surface characteristics of that weld: bead consistency, ripple pattern, toe transition, visible surface discontinuity indicators, spatter, starts and stops, and similar observable features. The output is a structured educational result: described strengths, possible concerns with confidence levels, descriptive practice-score bands, and suggested practice drills.
Findings deliberately use cautious language — “possible,” “appears to show,” “indicators of” — because that is the honest limit of what an image supports.
The photograph itself is analyzed and discarded by default — it is stored only if you choose to save a photo to your private record at submission, and you can remove a saved photo anytime. Otherwise only the structured result and the details you entered are kept. If an analysis fails, the consumed allowance is refunded automatically and you resubmit the photo — failed analyses never store the photo, even when you asked to save it.
What a photograph can never confirm
No ArcForge analysis result will ever state or imply any of the following, regardless of how good the weld looks:
- Compliance with any welding code or standard (including AWS, ASME, or API documents)
- Acceptance under any official or contractual acceptance criteria
- Structural integrity, load capacity, or fitness for service
- Internal fusion, including sidewall or inter-pass fusion
- Penetration depth or root condition on a closed joint
- Freedom from internal discontinuities such as subsurface porosity, slag, or cracks
- Certification, qualification, or test readiness of any welder
- Qualification for any employer, job, or contract
- Results of destructive testing (bend, tensile, nick-break, hardness, or impact tests)
- Results of nondestructive testing (VT by a qualified inspector, PT, MT, UT, or RT)
Why these limits exist
They are physical and procedural, not technical shortcomings we expect to fix. A photograph records the outside surface of a weld; weld quality is substantially determined by what happened inside the joint — fusion, penetration, and internal soundness — which only destructive or nondestructive testing can reveal. Code acceptance additionally requires measurements, procedure context, and evaluation by a person with the authority and qualification to make the call. Software that claimed otherwise would be wrong, and in welding, wrong is dangerous.
Confidence and image quality
Each finding carries a confidence level (low, moderate, or high) that reflects how clearly the visual indicator appears in your image. Confidence describes visibility — it never converts an observation into a measurement or a verdict. When an image is too dark, blurred, or cropped to read responsibly, the system requests a better photo rather than guessing.
Practice scores are educational metrics
Practice scores use descriptive bands (Emerging, Developing, Consistent, Proficient, Refined) across seven visual categories. They are ArcForge’s own educational metrics for tracking visible consistency over time. They are not weld quality ratings, do not correspond to any industry measurement, and no band implies that a weld would pass any examination or test.
Your responsibilities
- Treat every analysis result as study input, never as inspection output.
- Have an instructor or qualified inspector evaluate any weld that carries consequences — structural, pressure-bearing, safety-related, or graded.
- Never present an ArcForge result to an employer, customer, or authority as evidence of weld quality, compliance, or qualification.
- Follow all safety rules that apply where you weld.
Certification content disclaimer
ArcForge is an independent study tool from Forge Nova Labs. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by AWS, ASME, API, OSHA, or any certification organization. Completing ArcForge content does not grant any certification or qualification. Always consult official sources and an accredited testing facility.
Assumption of risk
By using ArcForge and its AI analysis, you knowingly and voluntarily assume all risk associated with that use, and you agree not to rely on any result — AI feedback, practice scores, lessons, quizzes, or certification-prep content — for any acceptance, structural, safety, hiring, qualification, or compliance decision. Welding carries inherent hazards, and weld quality is determined by factors a photograph cannot reveal. You accept that any result may be incorrect, incomplete, or unsuitable for your purpose, and you, not ArcForge or Forge Nova Labs, remain solely responsible for evaluating its accuracy and for the integrity and safety of your work. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you assume responsibility for every decision you make on the basis of, or influenced by, the Service.
No guarantee of accuracy
AI analysis is probabilistic and is not always accurate. It can miss a real flaw, flag something that is not actually a problem, or describe a weld incorrectly. ArcForge makes no warranty — express or implied — that any result is correct, complete, or fit for any purpose. Treat every result as a second opinion to learn from, never as a finding to rely on.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, ArcForge and Forge Nova Labs are not responsible or liable for any decision made, action taken, or outcome — including weld failure, injury, property damage, financial loss, or a failed test or inspection — arising from reliance on AI feedback, practice scores, lessons, or any other content. You use the software at your own risk and remain solely responsible for the integrity and safety of your work and for obtaining qualified inspection wherever it matters.
This limitation operates together with, and is subject to the same limits as, the limitation-of-liability provisions in our Terms of Service. Nothing here is intended to exclude or limit any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law — including liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or non-waivable personal-injury claims, or any non-waivable statutory consumer rights you may have.
Governed by the Terms of Service
This disclaimer is incorporated into and governed by our Terms of Service. The Terms control anything arising from or relating to AI output, and their limitation-of-liability and binding individual arbitration provisions — including the class-action waiver, jury-trial waiver, 30-day opt-out, and the requirement to email support and allow 60 days for informal resolution first — apply in full to any claim concerning AI feedback, practice scores, lessons, quizzes, or other content. Read the full Terms of Service for the complete agreement; in the event of any conflict, the Terms govern.
Questions
This disclaimer forms part of our Terms of Service. If anything here is unclear, contact us at support@arcforgepro.com — we would rather over-explain the limits than have anyone misread them.