Before your team pastes data into AI: five questions to ask
Most teams start using AI the same way: someone pastes a document into a free chat tool to save half an hour. It works, so they do it again. Before that becomes a habit across your business, it's worth asking a few questions.
1. Where does the data go?
Check whether the tool stores your prompts and files, for how long, and where. Consumer plans and business plans often handle this very differently.
2. Is it used to train the model?
Some free and individual plans can use your conversations to improve their models unless you opt out. Business plans usually exclude your data from training. Read the terms for the plan you are actually on, not the one you think you’re on.
3. Who can see it?
Find out whether conversations can be shared by link, whether admins can see usage, and whether you can control who has access to what.
4. Is there a record?
If a client asks what happened to their information, can you answer? Usage reporting and audit logs make that possible.
5. What should never go in?
Agree on a short list as a team. For example:
- Client financial records
- Health or personal information
- Passwords and access keys
- Anything covered by an NDA
Write it down and share it where people will actually see it.
The short version
Pick a business-grade tool, turn off training on your data, decide what stays out, and make sure someone is responsible for it.
We can review your tools and set the guardrails.