Tech tip: How to keep your Chatbot activity more private

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Operators chatbot tools have made it clear that user requests can be saved and used to further develop the AI ​​systems.

But what if a user doesn’t want that? Some tools allow users to request that personal information used in chatbot requests not be saved or used to develop or train AI systems.

Technology experts say it may be too late for users who have already provided information to these tools to remove the data. But the Associated Press offers the following advice for users who want to increase their privacy protections.

Google Gemini

Google stores chatbot interactions, known as conversations, with his Gemini tools. The company says it uses the data to train its machine learning systems. But the company gives users a way to limit the recorded information and delete past conversations.

For users aged 18 or over, requests are kept for 18 months, although this can be changed in user settings. Human workers are sometimes used by Google to investigate some user conversations as part of efforts to improve Gemini’s systems. In general, Google warns Gemini users not to enter sensitive information that they don’t want human workers to see.

Gemini users can change or “opt-out” these. standard settings. From the main page of the Gemini website, users should find and click on the “Activity” button at the bottom left of the page. From there, they can click “Disable” button next to the heading “Gemini Apps Activity.” Users then have the opportunity to block future conversations from being saved. They can also choose to delete all previous conversations.

Whether a user chooses to disable or enable their activity, Google notes that all conversations with Gemini are stored for 72 hours to “provide the service and process all conversations feedback.”

Meta AI

Meta has used an AI chatbot in its social media services Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. The company says its AI models are trained on information shared by users, including social media posts and photos. Meta says it does not train its AI systems on private messages sent by users to friends or family.

Not everyone can opt out of this policy. People in the 27-nation European Union and Britain – which both have strong privacy rules – can. This process can be completed from Meta’s main Privacy Center. Click on “Other policies and articles” from the list near the bottom on the left, then click on the part related to AI. Users can then find a link to a form to opt out.

People in the United States and other countries without national data privacy laws do not have this ability.

Meta’s Privacy Center links to a form where users can request that their third-party data not be used to “develop and improve AI at Meta.” But the company says these requests are investigated before they are done and may be rejected based on local laws.

Microsoft Copilot

With Microsoft’s Copilot chatbot, personal users can opt out of having their data used to develop the company’s AI models. The best thing a user can do is to remove conversations with the chatbot by going to the Microsoft account settings and privacy page. Find the drop-down option called “Copilot interaction history” or “Copilot activity history” to find the button to delete the history.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT

Users of OpenAI’s ChatGPT service can make privacy changes from the tool’s settings page. Find the “data controls” setting and uncheck the option called “Improve the model for everyone.” If a user does not have an account, they can click on the small question mark at the bottom right of the page. Then click on “Settings” to see the same option to opt out of AI training.

OpenAI explains on its data controls “help page” that if users opt out, their conversations will still appear in the history but will not be used for training. The company says these temporary calls will be held for 30 days.

Claude AI from Anthropic

Anthropic is an AI research company based in San Francisco. The company says its Claude AI tool is not trained on personal data. However, users can request permission for specific conversations to be used in training or not. Users can do this by giving the chat a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” or by emailing the company.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Google, Meta and other online sources.

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Words in this story

chatbot – n. a computer program designed to interact with people

standard – n. what exists or usually happens if no changes are made

button – n. an image, or icon, that appears on a computer screen that the user can click to cause software to do some kind of action

feedback – n. information or statements of opinion about something