Is AI Safe to Use? A Beginner's Guide to Privacy and Safety Settings

What "Safe" Means in the Age of AI

When asking if artificial intelligence is "safe" to use, we have to look at two distinct areas: data privacy (what happens to the information you type, upload, or speak) and psychological safety (how AI interactions affect users, particularly children and teens).

By default, many consumer AI tools use your conversations to train future models. This means human reviewers or automated systems might analyze your prompts, and elements of your data could influence future AI outputs. Furthermore, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an inquiry in September 2025 into consumer-facing AI chatbots acting as companions, raising concerns about how these tools mimic human emotions and build relationships with younger users [FTC, 2025].

Understanding how to secure your account is the first step toward using AI responsibly. If you are a student or parent, you may also want to compare platforms in our guide to ChatGPT vs Gemini for Students or learn the basics in our What Is Generative AI? guide.

What Each Chatbot Does with Your Chats by Default

Data handling policies vary significantly depending on the platform and your subscription tier:

Six Types of Data to Keep Out of Prompts

Even with strict privacy settings, guardrails are not foolproof. To protect yourself, avoid sharing:

• Passwords and API Keys: Never paste credentials, including Model Context Protocol (MCP) server keys or website authentication tokens.
• Proprietary Code or Trade Secrets: Unless you are on a dedicated enterprise plan with commercial terms, your code could be stored or reviewed.
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Avoid pasting full names, home addresses, phone numbers, or government IDs.
• Financial and Health Records: Do not upload bank statements, tax documents, or private medical files.
• Third-Party Private Data: Respect others' rights by not pasting emails, chats, or photos belonging to friends or colleagues without consent.
• Active Browser Cookies: When using advanced tools or sharing screens, ensure you are not transmitting active session cookies or login states [Google Privacy Hub].

If you ever need to verify if an AI's output is safe or accurate, check out our guide on How to Fact-Check an AI Answer. For a broader look at common terms, see our AI Jargon Glossary.

Five Privacy Settings to Review

You can secure your accounts quickly by adjusting these five settings:

1. Turn off ChatGPT Model Training: If signed in on the web, click your profile icon, go to Settings > Data Controls, and turn off "Improve the model for everyone" [OpenAI FAQ].
2. Opt Out of Claude Model Training: Go to your Claude Privacy Settings and ensure Model Improvement is disabled. This keeps your data retention period at 30 days instead of the extended 5 years [Anthropic, 2025].
3. Use ChatGPT Temporary Chats: When starting a sensitive conversation, toggle on Temporary Chat. These chats are deleted within 30 days, are not used for training, and do not save to your history [OpenAI FAQ].
4. Use Claude Incognito Chats: Use Incognito mode for sessions you want excluded from model training, even if you have model training enabled globally [Anthropic Privacy, 2026].
5. Review Gemini Connected Apps: Check your Gemini settings to control which Google services (like Search, YouTube, or Google Drive) exchange data with your assistant [Google Privacy Hub].

Kids, Teens, and Schools

AI safety is especially critical for families. In September 2025, the FTC issued orders to seven major companies (including Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI, and Character Technologies) to investigate the impact of companion chatbots on children and teens [FTC, 2025].

To address these concerns, OpenAI introduced parental controls that allow parents to link their accounts to their teen's account [OpenAI, 2025]. Once linked, parents can:

• Enable Study Mode by default for new chats to guide schoolwork [OpenAI, 2025].
• Set quiet hours to restrict ChatGPT usage during specific times.
• Turn off voice mode, memory, and image generation.
• Opt out of model training for the teen's account.
• Receive safety notifications if the system detects signs of acute distress or self-harm, or if the teen's account is banned for violent activity [OpenAI, 2025].

How to Turn Off Training on ChatGPT Mobile

If you use ChatGPT on your phone, you can opt out of training in under a minute:

1. Open the ChatGPT app and tap the side-bar menu.
2. Tap your profile icon.
3. Select Data Controls.
4. Toggle off "Improve the model for everyone" [OpenAI FAQ].

Note: This setting automatically syncs across all your devices, including the web interface [OpenAI FAQ].

Check Your Understanding

Scenario (Hypothetical): You are a developer using Claude Free to debug some proprietary code. You have opted out of model training in your Privacy Settings. How long does Anthropic keep your chat data?

Answer: Because you opted out of model training, your data falls under the standard 30-day retention period rather than the extended 5-year period [Anthropic, 2025].

Who Should Be Extra Careful?

• Parents of Teens: Ensure you link accounts and set appropriate boundaries using built-in parental controls [OpenAI, 2025].
• Developers and Professionals: If you use tools like Claude Code or ChatGPT for work, verify whether you are covered under Commercial Terms. Standard consumer terms allow for longer data retention and potential training unless manually configured [Anthropic, 2025].

Quick Answers

Does deleting a chat remove it from AI training?

For Claude, if you delete a conversation, it will not be used for future model training [Anthropic, 2025]. For ChatGPT, turning off the training setting prevents future chats from being used, while Temporary Chats are automatically deleted after 30 days [OpenAI FAQ].

Are business and school accounts safer?

Yes. Commercial and educational plans (such as ChatGPT Team, Enterprise, Edu, or Claude for Work) offer stricter data controls and generally do not use your conversations to train models [OpenAI FAQ] [Anthropic, 2025].

Can parents see exactly what their teens write in ChatGPT?

No. OpenAI's parental controls allow parents to manage settings (like quiet hours, memory, and image generation) and receive critical safety alerts, and in rare safety situations will only share the information needed to protect a teen's safety [OpenAI, 2025].