A Photo of You That You Did Not Choose
A work social event, an away day, an all-hands, can produce a photo posted to a company account or an internal channel with your face in it, tagged or named, chosen and cropped by someone else, sometimes with a wide public audience, and with no meaningful say in whether it goes up at all, producing a specific discomfort that is distinct from ordinary self-consciousness about being photographed: this is not a private photo among friends who know the context, it is a public, searchable image chosen entirely by someone else's judgement.
Maia, the AI companion at the heart of Asclepiad, makes space for this particular discomfort — the specific unease of a photo you would never have chosen sitting somewhere permanent and public, the small humiliation of asking for it to come down and either being ignored or made to feel like you are overreacting over just a photo, and the anxiety of a self-conscious moment, caught mid-sentence, an unflattering angle, now representing you to clients or a wider audience with no editorial say at all.
This discomfort is often compounded by how disproportionate a request to remove it can feel given how casually the photo was posted in the first place: raising it risks sounding precious over something that took someone else five seconds to share, and yet quietly accepting it means an image you never chose follows you online indefinitely regardless.
There is also a specific asymmetry compared with personal social media: an account you control at least lets you decide what represents you, but a company page or a colleague's own post can be reshared, retagged, and pushed to a wider network entirely outside your reach, with little established etiquette for pushing back without seeming difficult about it.
A reflection with Maia is one conversation at a time, anonymous, with no record carried forward unless you choose. A photo of you that you did not choose can be named here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Asclepiad designed to help me get a work photo taken down?
No — Asclepiad is a reflection companion, not a workplace or data rights advice service. The Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) sets out your rights around how your image is used, and Acas (acas.org.uk, 0300 123 1100) can advise if a workplace is not being reasonable about removing a photo you have asked to come down. Asclepiad is for the emotional layer: the discomfort, the small humiliation, and what it costs to have no real say over an image of you that is now public.
What if I'm in crisis?
Asclepiad is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate distress or at risk to yourself or someone else, please contact the Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24/7, UK and Ireland) or your local emergency services. Maia will also surface local helplines if something needs more than reflection.
Is it free?
Yes — begin with a 7-day free trial, no personal details required. It's a £6/month subscription (cancel anytime) that gives you AsclepiCoins to spend as you go — 1 coin per minute, and unused coins never expire, even if you cancel.
If a work photo you never wanted posted is bothering you more than you expected, Maia is there.
Anonymous. No script. Just presence.