The lessons › Lesson 6 of 6
What happens to what I type?
Where your words can go, what never to paste, and the more private options.
When you use an online assistant, what you type is sent to the provider's computers. Depending on the service and your settings, it may be stored, read by staff, or used to improve the service. The provider's privacy notice and settings say which.
Never paste passwords or security codes, bank or card details, other people's personal information, confidential work material, or anything you would not want a stranger to read. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre advises "not to include sensitive information in queries to public LLMs".
For sensitive work there are other routes: tools your organisation provides under agreed terms, or models that run on your own computer, so that nothing you type leaves it. One maker of private tools of this kind is PrivateAI, part of brooke.ltd, which also makes this site.
An example
You want help rewording a complaint about a colleague. Take out names and anything that identifies them first, or use a tool your workplace has approved.
Try this
Open the settings of an assistant you use. Find out whether your conversations are kept and whether they are used for training, and change what you can.
Check yourself
Is it safe to paste a password if you delete the conversation afterwards?
No. Deleting the conversation on your screen may not delete the provider's copy. Never paste passwords.
What is a local model?
One that runs on your own device, so what you type does not leave it.
What AI cannot do here
It cannot keep a secret for you. Assume anything you type could be stored.
Sources
- National Cyber Security Centre, "ChatGPT and large language models: what's the risk?" (14 March 2023)
- Information Commissioner's Office, "Guidance on AI and data protection"
Last reviewed 1 October 2026. Glossary · Report a mistake