How to Use AI Tools While Protecting Your Privacy

AI chat assistants, writing tools and AI browser extensions are useful, but everything you type or upload goes to someone else's servers. A few settings and habits let you get the benefits without giving away more than you mean to.

1. Know what happens to your chats

• Chats are usually stored in your account history.
• Some may be reviewed by people for safety and quality.
• On many consumer plans, chats can be used to train future models unless you opt out.

Read the privacy page of each AI tool you use; they differ and change over time.

2. Turn off training where you can

Most major assistants let you stop your chats from being used for training. In ChatGPT it's under Settings → Data controls. Gemini and Claude have similar controls in their privacy or activity settings. Many tools also have a temporary or incognito chat mode that isn't saved to your history.

3. Don't paste what you couldn't afford to leak

• Passwords, API keys and recovery codes.
• ID numbers, bank details and medical records.
• Other people's personal data, such as customer lists or client files.
• Confidential work documents or code, unless your employer has approved the tool.

Replace names and numbers with placeholders when you only need help with structure or wording.

4. Be careful with AI extensions

AI browser extensions that summarize or rewrite pages often need permission to "read and change all your data on all websites". That can include your email, banking and work tools. Install few, from developers you trust, and check what they send to their servers. See how ChatGPT browses the web.

5. Use work accounts for work

Business and enterprise plans from the big AI providers generally don't train on customer data by default and offer admin controls. If you're responsible for a team, keep an approved list of AI tools and extensions; Chrome's enterprise policies can limit which extensions can be installed.

6. Check uploads

• Photos can contain location data. Remove it before uploading.
• Documents can contain hidden comments, tracked changes and author names.

7. Consider running AI locally

Apps such as Ollama and LM Studio run open models on your own computer, so nothing leaves it. They're slower and less capable than the biggest online models, but fine for many writing and summarizing tasks.

8. Delete what you don't need

Clear old chat history, and remove connected apps you no longer use.

Other privacy tools

Ghost Browser makes random background visits to blur the profile ad trackers build from your browsing. It doesn't change what AI services see when you type into them, so the habits above still matter. See also a Chrome privacy checklist.