Step-by-Step Guide: Preventing ChatGPT from Learning from Your Data (Includes Images)

Want to use ChatGPT without it collecting your data? Here's how to stop it.

ChatGPT can be great for things like writing birthday poems or planning workouts, but it does gather data from your interactions to improve its responses. If you’re not comfortable with that, here’s how to prevent ChatGPT from using your data and how to use it anonymously.

How to Stop ChatGPT from Using Your Data

OpenAI, the team behind ChatGPT, uses your data to help improve their AI. This is pretty standard for free AI services—your data helps make them better. But if you'd rather not share your information, you can change your settings to stop data collection. Here’s a quick guide on how to do that.

Temporarily Stop ChatGPT from Using Your Data

If you're okay with sharing most of the time but have something you want to keep private, you can turn off data collection just for that interaction. Here's how:

1. Click on the ChatGPT dropdown menu at the top of the screen.

2. Choose ‘Temporary Chat’.

This will stop your data from being used to train the AI during that session. Just keep in mind that ChatGPT might still keep your chat history for up to thirty days.

How to Permanently Stop ChatGPT from Using Your Data

If you want to ensure ChatGPT doesn’t use your data in the long run, here’s what you need to do:

1. Log into your account.

2. Click on your account icon in the top right corner to access the settings menu.

In the settings menu, you can delete your entire chat history, though this data may have already been used for training. For future privacy, go to the Data Controls section.

3. Look for the ‘Improve the model for everyone’ option at the top of the Data Controls section. By default, this is set to on.

4. Click this button to turn it off.

You’re done! 

While you're in the settings menu, you can also:

• Delete your account if you want to completely remove yourself from ChatGPT.

• Export your data to get a report of all the information stored in the system.

How to Use ChatGPT Anonymously

If you're concerned about ChatGPT collecting your data, there are ways to use it without revealing your identity. In April, OpenAI announced that you can use ChatGPT without signing in, which keeps your chats from being linked to you. While this option might not be available everywhere, it should work fine for users in the US.

Using ChatGPT without an account means your interactions aren’t tied to you personally, but it doesn't stop your data from being used to improve the AI.

Another way to stay anonymous is by accessing ChatGPT through the DuckDuckGo browser. This method not only allows for anonymous use but also prevents your data from being used for AI training. Additionally, DuckDuckGo gives you the flexibility to choose which AI chatbot to interact with.

Regardless of which option you choose, it's important to avoid sharing sensitive information, like financial details, creative work, or personal data, when using ChatGPT.