Data Handling by AI Chatbots
In 2025, AI chatbots like Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini have become essential tools for tasks ranging from drafting emails to solving complex problems. However, as users input questions, prompts, and personal files into these platforms, questions arise about how data is handled. This article explores how these companies use user interactions for AI model training and what control users have over their data.
Grok, developed by xAI, is a truth-seeking assistant that often draws real-time insights from X (formerly Twitter). According to xAI's privacy policy, user prompts, responses, and interactions may be used to improve the model's language understanding, accuracy, and safety. If using Grok through X, user posts and interactions could be used for training unless opted out. Grok's Private Chat mode ensures data is not used for training.
ChatGPT, OpenAI's popular chatbot, powers various services from creative writing to coding. OpenAI's privacy policy clearly states that user prompts, files, images, and audio may be used to enhance services, including model training. Users can opt out by visiting OpenAI's help center and selecting 'do not train on my content.'
Claude, developed by Anthropic, is known for its safety-first approach, but a recent policy update has sparked discussion. Previously, consumer conversations were not used for training by default, but now users must opt-in for their data to be used. Users can disable this setting, but once data is used, it cannot be retroactively withdrawn.
Perplexity, a research-oriented AI, combines chatbot functionality with real-time web search, offering citations for its answers. Users can opt out of data use through the settings page and request account deletion. Google's Gemini, a multimodal AI, integrates seamlessly with Google's ecosystem and has a complex privacy policy. Users can control data use through various privacy settings.
These AI platforms use user data to fuel innovation, but their approaches vary. Grok and ChatGPT offer clear opt-out paths, while Claude's new opt-in default has sparked debate. Perplexity balances research needs with user control, and Gemini's granular settings cater to Google's ecosystem but require more user effort.