How can I protect my privacy when using AI tools?
Answer
When you use the free versions of AI tools, many developers and companies will retain your inputs to improve the next version of their model. Because of this, we strongly recommend using Microsoft Copilot with your VSC account. That gives you access to their commercial data protection, which means that your inputs will not be saved or used to train their models.
Whatever AI tool you use, the following practices can help you protect your privacy:
- Read the privacy policy and terms of use carefully so that you know exactly what data the company retains and how they use it. See if you can adjust the settings to prevent data retention.
- Don’t enter any private or confidential information into AI tools. There's always a risk, even when the tool protects your data. If you wouldn't be okay with posting it publicly, don't give it to an AI.
Adapted from How can I protect my privacy when using ChatGPT? by University of Arizona Libraries, © 2024 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
