Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsDo not enter sensitive personal information, secrets, or confidential work material into a public or personal AI service unless the specific service and applicable rules authorize it. For work, start with your employer’s policy and use only the approved product, account, and use case. Turning off model improvement or using a temporary chat changes particular data uses; it does not automatically make a service appropriate for sensitive information.
What counts as sensitive information?
Pause before entering anything that could identify or harm a person, expose an organization, or grant access to an account or system. Examples include:
- Personal identifiers and customer or employee records.
- Health, financial, or other regulated information.
- Passwords, API keys, access tokens, recovery codes, or other credentials.
- Confidential business, vendor, procurement, or proprietary information.
- Unreleased policies, plans, contracts, or other internal documents.
CMS guidance specifically says not to enter personal information, protected health information, financial, health, vendor, procurement, draft-policy, or proprietary/business information into publicly accessible AI platforms. GOV.UK guidance for civil servants says, “You should never put sensitive information or personal data into these tools.” The guidance applies to civil servants, but the caution is useful more broadly: if you are uncertain whether material is sensitive, do not paste it into a public tool until you have checked the relevant policy or data owner.
Is it safe to paste work information into ChatGPT or another AI assistant?
It depends on the account, service, settings, and your employer’s rules—not just the brand name. A personal account and an organization-managed account from the same provider can have different terms and protections. GOV.UK’s guidance to civil servants puts the distinction plainly: “Just as you would not share work documents on social media sites, do not input such material into generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools.” Treat that as the source’s analogy, not as a universal legal rule.
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For work material, your employer decides which tools and uses are approved. CMS, for example, directs its workforce to share sensitive information only for official purposes, through secure channels, with authorized people who have a legitimate need to know. A provider’s privacy feature does not override your organization’s policy or authorize a use case your employer has not approved.
How to use AI while minimizing data exposure
- Classify the material. Check whether it is personal, identifying, regulated, customer-related, confidential, proprietary, or secret. If you cannot tell, stop and ask the appropriate policy owner or data steward.
- Confirm the approved tool and account. For work, check your employer’s policy for the exact product, account type, and task. A personal login to a familiar service is not necessarily the organization-managed service your employer approved.
- Remove details the task does not need. Replace names, account numbers, customer details, and company-specific facts with placeholders such as “[customer]” or “[project].” Use a generic description or a short, non-sensitive excerpt instead of uploading a full document.
- Keep secrets out entirely. Do not include passwords, API keys, tokens, recovery codes, or other credentials. Redaction is not a reason to submit information that remains confidential or that policy prohibits sharing.
- Check the relevant controls and terms. Verify how the specific account handles prompts and outputs, retention and deletion, access by administrators, connected apps, agents, and web search. Settings can vary by service, plan, feature, and configuration.
- Review the answer before relying on it. Check important claims and sources against trustworthy references, consult a qualified expert when appropriate, and do independent research for consequential work. Do not treat a fluent answer as proof that it is correct.
What AI privacy settings do—and do not—mean
Privacy controls are useful, but each control addresses a particular data use. “Not used for training” does not necessarily mean “not stored,” “not accessible,” or “approved for this information.” Check current provider documentation and your organization’s rules for the exact account and feature you plan to use.
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OpenAI individual and business services
OpenAI says eligible content on individual services may be used to improve models. Users can turn off “Improve the model for everyone” for new conversations or use the Privacy Portal. Temporary Chats are not used to improve models while temporary; if you voluntarily submit feedback, the associated conversation may be used. These settings concern model improvement and should not be read as a general promise of zero retention or universal confidentiality. See OpenAI’s explanation of how data is used to improve model performance.
OpenAI says inputs and outputs for ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu, and the API are not used to improve models by default. It also describes encryption and access controls. Those protections are tied to the specified offerings; workspace administration and service-specific handling still matter. See OpenAI’s enterprise privacy information.
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Microsoft consumer Copilot and organization Copilot
Microsoft advises consumers not to provide confidential or sensitive personal data to Copilot. Its consumer FAQ describes training controls and exclusions that can depend on account and region. Do not treat consumer settings as equivalent to organization-level Enterprise Data Protection. See Microsoft’s Copilot privacy FAQ.
Microsoft says organization use of Copilot and Copilot Chat is covered by its Data Protection Addendum and Product Terms, with Enterprise Data Protection for prompts and responses; it says those prompts, responses, and Microsoft Graph data are not used to train foundation models. Controls vary by subscription. Check agents individually, and account for separate data-handling practices for web queries. See Microsoft’s Enterprise Data Protection documentation.
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Google Workspace Gemini
Google says Workspace controls apply to Gemini in Workspace: interactions remain within the organization unless permission is given, and Workspace content is not used to train models outside the domain without permission. This statement is specific to Google Workspace; do not assume it applies to every Google consumer AI service. See Google’s Workspace generative AI privacy information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to compare before choosing an account for work
Organization-managed offerings may provide contractual, access, retention, and audit controls that differ from consumer accounts. The details are provider-, plan-, feature-, and configuration-specific, so compare the exact service your organization is considering.
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| Check | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Governing terms | Which entity and service terms govern the account: personal consumer terms or an organization’s agreement? |
| Model improvement | Can prompts or outputs be used to improve models, and what is the scope of any opt-out? |
| Retention and deletion | How long is information retained, and what deletion controls apply to conversations and related data? |
| Access | Who can view conversations, including workspace administrators or other authorized organization personnel? |
| Connected features | What data can connected apps, agents, and external web search receive or return? |
| Organization controls | Does the service support the organization’s identity, permissions, audit, and retention requirements? |
| Approval | Has the organization approved this exact product, account, data type, and use case? |
What to do if you accidentally submit sensitive information
If it was work information
Stop adding related information and promptly follow your organization’s incident-reporting process. CMS tells its workforce to report suspected or confirmed disclosures. Do not assume that deleting a conversation resolves the incident or meets reporting requirements.
If it was personal information in a personal account
Use the provider’s current support or privacy channels for guidance. The steps depend on the service and circumstances; there is no single procedure established for every personal AI account. For advice about a privacy concern in Canada, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada publishes principles for responsible, trustworthy, and privacy-protective generative AI.
Why generated answers still need checking
Protecting the input does not make the output reliable. GOV.UK warns that plausible AI output can mislead, and CMS recommends checking results against trustworthy sources, consulting experts, and conducting independent research. Verify citations and facts before using an answer in a decision, publication, customer response, or other consequential task.
Official guidance
- GOV.UK: Guidance to civil servants on use of generative AI.
- CMS: Guidance for Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence at CMS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use AI at work without exposing confidential data?
Possibly, if your employer has approved the exact product, account, and use case and the information is permitted under its rules. Use an approved organization-managed account, minimize what you provide, and check the service’s data handling. Do not use a personal account for confidential work just because it has a privacy setting.
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