The Umbrella

As AI-driven digital assistants capture our imagination and attention, privacy concerns have also taken center stage. Users want to enjoy the benefits of these smart applications without compromising their personal data. But even one of the leading AI model creators is cautioning users : don’t share your deepest, darkest secrets with AI. Let’s jump into the data privacy policies of the two most prominent AI models, ChatGPT and Gemini, to understand how they handle your information.

ChatGPT: A Closer Look at OpenAI’s Privacy Policies

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, recently announced that it is adding ‘persistent memory’ to the app. This will allow ChatGPT to remember information that user’s input across different chat sessions.

In certain ways, that is an obvious advancement for users, right? It can save time and make the model more efficient because user’s don’t have to keep repeating the same instructions. But, it should also raise broader questions from anyone concerned about how their personal data is being used by AI models.

So, What Data Does ChatGPT Collect?

ChatGPT retains all conversations, prompts and queries entered by users. OpenAI states in its FAQs that, “for non-API consumer products like ChatGPT and DALL-E, we may use content such as prompts, responses, uploaded images, and generated images to improve our services.” OpenAI then uses this data to enhance the language model.

Importantly though, conversations are not the only thing that OpenAI collects.  When you sign up or use the service, OpenAI collects:

• Email address and phone number
• Geolocation data
• Network activity information
• Commercial information (transaction history)
• Identifiers (contact details)
• Device and browser cookies
• Log data (IP address, etc.)

How does it use that data?

OpenAI says that it serves the dual purpose of refining the language model and enriching ChatGPT’s contextual memory for better personalized responses. While OpenAI says that it takes steps to reduce personal information in training datasets, concerns linger about the lack of clarity on the specifics of data use.

Gemini: Navigating Google’s New Privacy Warnings

Let’s start with the basics.vGoogle says that, “[w]hen you interact with Gemini Apps, Google collects your:

• Conversations
• Location
• Feedback
• Usage information

Warning about providing personal information to Gemini

If we dig a bit deeper and review a recent warning from Google, we find something very interesting. Google’s “Gemini Apps Privacy Notice” from February 8, 2024, says::

We take your privacy seriously, and we do not sell your personal information to anyone. To help Gemini improve while protecting your privacy, we select a subset of conversations and use automated tools to help remove user identifying information (such as email addresses and phone numbers). These sample conversations are reviewed by trained reviewers and kept for up to three years, separately from your Google Account

Ok, so they claim they won’t sell it and try to sanitize it. But they are also going to retain it for three years! Hang on though, get this. Google warns: Don’t share your deepest, darkest secrets with AI! The same notice reads as follows:

Don’t enter confidential information in your Gemini Apps conversations or any data you wouldn’t want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our products, services, and machine-learning technologies.”

It should be noted, that Google also provides a way to opt out of having your data reviewed by a human. However, that is not a default setting, so it is a virtual certainty that the vast majority of users will not opt out.

Key Takeaways and Protecting Your Privacy

As users, it’s crucial to be aware of AI models’ data practices and take steps to protect personal information. Here are some key takeaways:

• Be mindful of the information you share with AI models.
• Take Google’s word for it, don’t share personally identifiable information with the AI services.
• Regularly review and manage your data on all these platforms.
• Understand the data retention policies and make informed choices.

For our latest updates on the way AI is impacting your personal data security, see our AI-focused section here.