You paste a client's email into ChatGPT to help you reply. Two seconds later you've got a draft. Handy.

But that email - where did it just end up?

It's a question almost nobody asks, and it affects anyone who loads a quote, a supplier's details or the staff list into one of these tools.

An LLM (Large Language Model, the "engine" behind ChatGPT, Claude and the like) improves by learning from the text it receives. So the real question is just one: will your text be used to train the model, becoming part of it?

Here the difference isn't the tool - it's the plan and the settings you're using.

Consumer plan (free, or a personal subscription like Plus/Pro):

  • Unless you step in, what you type can become training material for future models
  • The switch to say "no" exists, but it's buried in the settings: nobody puts it in front of you
  • And no, paying for a personal subscription changes nothing. That money buys you speed and features, not confidentiality!

Business / API plan:

  • By default, your inputs don't feed any training

The detail that often slips by: turning off training doesn't make anything vanish instantly. It blocks future use, but for a while a copy still sits on their systems. And if you use ChatGPT without even logging in, your data gets collected anyway.

Then there's the point that weighs most, and it isn't technical: the data you paste often isn't yours - it belongs to a client, a supplier, one of your staff. And responsibility for what you upload stays with whoever uses the tool. You!

That's why it's essential for individuals and businesses alike to know which plan and which settings they're working with.

Sorting out the settings takes minutes - you just need to know where to look:

  • ChatGPT: Settings > Data Controls, and turn off "Improve the model for everyone". Or, on the fly, use a "temporary chat", which isn't used to train the models
  • Claude: Settings > Privacy, and turn off "Help Improve Claude"
  • Gemini: the trickiest one, because the same toggle governs both training and history. Go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini (or Google Account > Data & privacy > "Gemini Apps Activity") and hit "Turn off". Careful: this also disables your history, and Gemini stops remembering past conversations. If you use Gemini Live on your phone, also uncheck the option that improves Google services with audio and recordings. Important note: with a business Google Workspace account, Google doesn't use your data for training by default

Once set, these choices apply to every future conversation on that plan.

Start protecting your data!

Luca Pernini - Script Solutions .IT