6 Things to Know About AI and Your Privacy (Before You Decide What to Share)

AI gets more helpful the more it knows about you. The good news: you decide exactly how much that is.

If you've held back from AI because you're not sure what happens to your information, that's a smart instinct.

You're far from alone. 81% of Americans say they're concerned about AI getting access to their personal data or private conversations.1

But here's what most people miss: 64% of people who use AI have already given it access to an account or personal information without fully understanding the permissions.2

So the real risk isn't sharing. It's sharing without knowing what you agreed to. Here are 6 things to know, so the choice is yours.

1 It's a give and take A brand-new AI chat knows nothing about you, so you get generic answers. Once it knows your job, the way you write, and what's on your plate, the answers start to fit your life. Every bit of information you share is a trade: a little more access for a lot more usefulness. You get to decide where that line is. YOUR CALL Think about what you'd tell a new assistant on their first day. That's a good place to start.

2 You can introduce yourself once, on your terms ChatGPT and Claude both let you write a short note about yourself that they read before every conversation. Think of it as a conversation with yourself first: what do you actually want your assistant to know? Here's what that might look like: Example Your "about me" note WHAT I WANT MY ASSISTANT TO KNOW I work in sales at a flooring company. Keep answers short and in plain English. My emails are friendly and casual. Never include client names or prices. YOUR CALL Include what helps it help you. Leave out anything you wouldn't want written down.

3 It remembers things, and you can see (and erase) what it remembers Both ChatGPT and Claude can remember details from past chats so you don't have to repeat yourself. That memory isn't hidden. You can open it, read it, edit it, delete one item, or turn memory off completely.3 You can also just say "remember this" or "forget that" in a chat. YOUR CALL Check what it remembers once a month, the way you'd clean out a junk drawer.

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4 Connecting your accounts is where AI gets really useful This is the part most people skip, and it's where the biggest payoff is. With connectors, ChatGPT and Claude can look at your Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Drive when you ask them to. So instead of digging for things yourself, you can ask: "What's on my calendar next week, and what do I need to prepare?" "Find the email where the contractor sent the quote." "Pull the main points from the budget doc in my Drive." HOW IT WORKS Nothing connects until you sign in and approve it. AI can only see the accounts you choose. You can disconnect any time in settings, and when Claude wants to send an email or make changes for you, it asks you first.4,5 YOUR CALL Start with one connection. Your calendar is the easiest place to see the payoff.

5 You can turn training off, or go private for one chat Both tools have a setting that controls whether your conversations can be used to improve their AI. You can switch it off any time in your settings.6,7 For anything sensitive, use a private chat: Temporary Chat in ChatGPT or Incognito in Claude. These chats don't show up in your history, don't go into memory, and aren't used for training. (Both companies may keep them for up to 30 days for safety reasons.)6,7 YOUR CALL Keep your everyday chats normal, and go private when it's personal.

6 You can even connect your money, if the trade feels worth it Some of the most useful connections are also the most personal. In the U.S., ChatGPT can now connect to your bank, credit card, and investment accounts to show your spending, subscriptions, and investments in one place.8 For someone who has never felt confident with money, that can be a real way to learn. You can ask things like "Where is my money going each month?" or "What does this investment actually do?" and get a plain-English answer about your own numbers. HOW IT WORKS It's view-only. ChatGPT can't move money, pay bills, or make trades. You can disconnect any time, and your synced data is deleted within 30 days. It isn't a financial adviser, so big decisions still deserve a professional.8 One rule has no trade-off: never type passwords or login codes into a chat. Connections use a secure sign-in, so AI never needs them. YOUR CALL This is the give and take at its clearest: what you connect versus what you get back. Some people will connect everything. Some won't connect their bank at all. Everyone's answer is different. The point is to decide on purpose.

In class, we set this up together

Privacy is the number one question we get. So we don't just talk about it. In the Your Solution 4-week program, you set up each piece live, with an instructor walking you through it on your own account.

STEP 1 Your "about me" note Decide what you want AI to know about you, and write it in.

STEP 2 Memory you can check See what ChatGPT and Claude remember, and how to edit or clear it.

STEP 3 Your privacy settings Choose your training setting and learn when to use a private chat.

STEP 4 Your first connection Connect Gmail, Calendar, or Drive (only if you want to) and put it to work.

What students say

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JA Janet Arnold Google review

Get the benefits of AI, on your terms

✓ 4 live classes, once a week at 8:00 PM ET

✓ A real instructor who answers your questions

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✓ Hands-on practice and a private group chat with classmates

Not sure yet? Book a free 15-minute Q&A

You don't have to choose between privacy and getting help

You just need to know where the settings are and what to share. Give it four evenings, and you'll decide with confidence instead of guessing.

SOURCES

Shift Browser, 2026 AI Consumer Insights Survey (1,448 U.S. respondents, Mar. 2026), as reported by PPC Land. Link

Aura & Talker Research, survey of 2,000 U.S. adults who use AI, Sept. 2026. Link

OpenAI Help Center, "Memory FAQ," and Claude Help Center, "Use Claude's chat search and memory." Link · Link

OpenAI Help Center, "Google Apps for ChatGPT: data controls FAQ." Link

Claude Help Center, "Use Google Workspace connectors." Link

OpenAI Help Center, "Data controls in ChatGPT." Link

Claude Help Center, "Use incognito chats," and Anthropic, "Updates to our consumer terms." Link · Link

OpenAI Help Center, "Finances in ChatGPT." Link