Around 900 million people use ChatGPT every week, according to OpenAI. A lot of them are using it at work – to write emails, summarize meetings, or draft client proposals. The catch? On a regular ChatGPT account, every word your team types in can be saved by OpenAI and used to help train the next version of the AI. That includes client names, financial details, and anything else they happen to share.
Most employees have no idea this is happening. They just opened a free ChatGPT account and started typing. The setting that controls all this is turned on by default, and unless someone goes in and turns it off, your business data keeps flowing into the system.
The fix takes about 60 seconds. Here is how to turn it off:
- Open ChatGPT and click Settings (bottom-left corner)
- Click Data Controls
- Toggle off “Improve the model for everyone”
- Click Done
For step-by-step guidance from OpenAI directly, see their Data Controls FAQ. If you want stronger protection, ChatGPT Business and Enterprise plans have this turned off automatically and offer extra controls built for organizations – well worth considering if your team uses AI tools regularly.
AI is moving fast, and most small businesses do not have a clear picture of how their team is using these tools – or what data is leaving the building. A free network assessment from OptfinITy can show you exactly where your exposure is and what to do about it.
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