What happens to what you type into an AI chat?

Every AI chat tool makes the same handful of decisions about your words: whether to save them, for how long, who can read them, whether they train future models, and what deleting really removes. The answers differ by tool and, even more, by whether you use a personal or a work account. This page walks through each question using the four tools people search for most: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.

Is what you type into an AI chat saved?

Yes, by default, on all four. ChatGPT keeps regular and archived chats in your account until you delete them. Claude keeps chats in your history, and Anthropic states no auto-delete period for them. Gemini saves chats to your Gemini Apps Activity while Keep Activity is on. Microsoft says Copilot saves conversations by default so you can return to them. Archiving a chat hides it from the sidebar and keeps it stored.

How long do AI chats keep your conversations?

Some data outlives these windows on every tool. Anthropic keeps chats flagged for violating its usage policy for up to 2 years. Claude keeps feedback you submit with the thumbs buttons for 5 years, and chats you allowed for training stay in de-identified form for up to 5 years.

Who can see what you type into an AI chat?

Three groups. First, the provider's systems and a limited set of its people. Google says a subset of Gemini chats is read by human reviewers, including trained service providers, after the chat is disconnected from your account. Microsoft says some Copilot conversations get automated and human review for product improvement and safety. OpenAI says API data is accessible to authorized employees and to contractors who review for abuse. Second, anyone you share a link with: a ChatGPT link from a personal account opens for anyone who has it, including uploaded files and names typed into the chat, and it has no expiry date. Third, a court. During the New York Times copyright case, a 2025 order required OpenAI to preserve ChatGPT output it would normally delete.

OpenAI says that obligation ended on September 26, 2025, and that it keeps limited April to September 2025 data under legal hold. Engadget reported that data tied to accounts the Times flagged must also be kept, and in January 2026 a federal judge upheld an order requiring OpenAI to hand over 20 million de-identified chat logs, according to the ABA Journal. Any provider's deletion schedule gives way to a court order.

Is what you type used to train AI models?

On personal accounts, often yes unless you change a setting. ChatGPT uses conversations for training while Improve the model for everyone is on. Microsoft uses Copilot conversations for training unless you opt out. Gemini uses chats to improve Google services while Keep Activity is on. Claude uses chats only if you allow it, or if a chat is flagged for safety review.

Feedback is the exception people miss. On ChatGPT, rating a response sends the whole conversation for possible training even after you opt out. Claude stores the whole conversation behind a thumbs rating for up to 5 years. On work accounts, all four providers say they do not train on your content by default.

Is your AI chat data shared or sold?

OpenAI's US privacy policy says it does not sell personal data, and that it shares limited data with marketing partners to advertise its own products elsewhere, which you can switch off with the marketing privacy control. ChatGPT began testing ads for Free and Go users in the United States on February 9, 2026. OpenAI says advertisers never receive your chats, memories, name, or email, and that personalized ads can draw on past chats and memory until you turn that off in Settings > Ad controls. Google says it does not sell your personal information and that Gemini chats are not used to show you ads. Microsoft keeps personalized ads as a separate setting from Copilot's own controls. OpenAI's policy also says it discloses personal data to vendors such as hosting and cloud providers to run the service.

What do memory and temporary chats do?

Memory carries details from one chat into the next. ChatGPT keeps saved memories apart from chat history, so deleting a chat leaves any memory created from it in place. To remove something fully, delete the saved memory and the chat where you first shared it. OpenAI keeps logs of deleted memories for up to 30 days. Copilot remembers key details such as your name and goals when personalization is on, and turning it off stops the remembering while your history stays.

Temporary modes do the opposite. ChatGPT's Temporary Chat creates no memories and stays out of history. Gemini's temporary chats are kept with your account for 72 hours. Claude's incognito chats are excluded from training even with training turned on. None of these modes skip the provider's servers: the words still travel there to be answered.

What changes on a work account?

The organization takes over retention, and training is off by default. ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, and Edu admins set how long content is kept, and shared links stay inside the workspace. On Claude for Work, chats stay in the product until deleted, and deletion clears back-end storage within 30 days. Google says Workspace content in Gemini is not human reviewed or used for model training outside your domain without permission, and admins can keep Gemini app chats for up to 36 months. Microsoft says Copilot on a work account follows the organization's own retention policies and does not use prompts to train foundation models. For a plan-by-plan comparison, see Is ChatGPT safe to use at work?.

What does deleting an AI chat actually do?

It removes the chat from your view at once and starts a clock. OpenAI and Anthropic both delete from back-end systems within 30 days. Three things survive a delete: separate copies such as ChatGPT memories, Library files, and shared links; chats already reviewed or rated, kept on their own schedule; and anything a legal hold covers. Anthropic adds that data already inside a training run in progress, or a trained model, stays there.

What puts sensitive data at risk in an AI chat?

The prompt itself. Once a client file or account number is pasted in, the provider holds a copy for at least the periods above. Five habits shrink the exposure:

• Replace identifiers such as names, account numbers, and IDs with placeholders before you paste.
• Use the temporary or incognito mode for one-off questions.
• Review memory monthly, deleting both the memory and its source chat.
• Delete shared links once their job is done.
• Use your company's work account for company work, so retention and training follow your organization's settings.

For the full route a prompt takes after you press enter, read Where does your data go when people use AI?.