In today’s fast-paced digital environment, tools like ChatGPT have become indispensable for professionals handling research, customer service, programming, marketing, and more. However, as with any AI tool, especially one operating in the cloud, security and privacy concerns are paramount—particularly when sensitive or proprietary data is involved.
From financial figures to internal strategy documents, feeding critical information into AI tools without understanding how they handle your data can pose risks. Fortunately, OpenAI offers users meaningful ways to control what is shared and remembered. In this post, we break down how to use ChatGPT safely for work, particularly when your tasks involve confidential or sensitive information.
- Use Temporary Chat Mode (a.k.a. Incognito Mode)
What It Does:
Temporary Chat Mode allows you to use ChatGPT without saving your conversation history or using that session to train future models. It’s a powerful privacy-first option when working on sensitive projects.
Why It Matters:
By default, ChatGPT saves conversation history, which may be reviewed to improve AI performance. This means that unless you disable it, your data—even anonymized—might be used in training datasets. For business or security-sensitive workflows, this poses a potential compliance or confidentiality issue.
How to Turn On Temporary Chat Mode:
- Open ChatGPT.
- Click on your name or profile picture at the bottom left.
- Select “Temporary Chat” or “+ New Temporary Chat” from the list.
- You’ll notice a banner at the top of the screen indicating that memory and history are off for this session.
In Temporary Chat Mode:
- Your prompts and responses are not stored.
- They are not used for training.
- Memory is not updated.
- Reset Memory When Things Go Off-Track
What It Does:
ChatGPT’s memory can “remember” certain details about you across chats to provide a more personalized experience. However, if it starts making incorrect assumptions or if you’ve entered data you’d like removed, you can reset or manage this memory.
Why It Matters:
For professionals, especially those in regulated industries (like finance, law, healthcare, etc.), unintentional data retention can result in data handling violations. Resetting memory ensures that your sensitive details are not retained long-term.
How to Reset or Manage Memory:
- Go to Settings (click your name at the bottom left → Settings).
- Click “Personalization” or “Memory” (depending on your interface).
- You’ll see an option to “Manage Memory”.
- Here, you can:
- View what ChatGPT remembers about you.
- Delete specific memory items.
- Select “Clear all memories” to wipe everything.
After reset, ChatGPT won’t remember past chats or facts until memory is re-enabled or new sessions are created with consent.
- Turn Off Training Data Sharing (Self-Improvement Opt-Out)
What It Does:
OpenAI allows users to opt out of sharing their prompts and data for the purpose of improving future AI models.
Why It Matters:
Even when not using memory, conversations could still be used to train OpenAI’s models. If you’re inputting proprietary, customer, or personal data—even inadvertently—this poses a privacy risk.
How to Turn Off Data Sharing for Training:
- Go to Settings (click your name → Settings).
- Select “Data Controls.”
- Toggle off the “Chat history & training” option.
When this is off:
- Your chats are not saved to your history.
- They are not used to train or improve the model.
- You can still use ChatGPT, but without the benefit of history-based personalization.
It’s the equivalent of an “AI incognito mode” for every chat in a permanent usage.
Conclusion
ChatGPT is a transformative tool for productivity, ideation, and workflow automation—but with great power comes great responsibility. When used improperly, even unintentionally, it can expose sensitive data or create compliance risks. By leveraging Temporary Chat Mode, regularly resetting or managing memory, and opting out of data training, users can enjoy the benefits of AI without compromising their data integrity.
For cybersecurity professionals, legal advisors, health practitioners, and enterprise teams, understanding and applying these safety measures isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity.
Privacy-conscious AI use isn’t about fear; it’s about control. Know the tools, use them wisely, and empower your work without putting your data at risk.