ChatGPT Adds Incognito Mode, Erasing Chat History
OpenAI has introduced a new privacy feature preventing ChatGPT from remembering chat history, a bit like incognito mode in a web browser. Users can adjust the generative AI chatbot’s settings to no longer store conversations or use them for training models. OpenAI announced a way to access personal ChatGPT data and plans for a ChatGPT enterprise subscription tier.
Generative Privacy
ChatGPT users who want to turn off chat history can do so from the settings menu. When the history is switched off, the conversation won’t be visible on the sidebar anymore, and the data won’t be employed by OpenAI for training the AI model. They won’t be deleted immediately, however. OpenAI will hold onto the conversations for 30 days in case they need to review them for possible violations of its rules. Otherwise, they will be erased after that month. You can see what the menu option looks like at the top of the page. Whether or not you let OpenAI take a peek, you can see your own ChatGPT data for the first time by asking for the file to be emailed to their associated account.
“Conversations that are started when chat history is disabled won’t be used to train and improve our models, and won’t appear in the history sidebar. We hope this provides an easier way to manage your data than our existing opt-out process. When chat history is disabled, we will retain new conversations for 30 days and review them only when needed to monitor for abuse, before permanently deleting,” OpenAI explained in a blog post. “Finally, a new Export option in settings makes it much easier to export your ChatGPT data and understand what information ChatGPT stores. You’ll receive a file with your conversations and all other relevant data in email.”
OpenAI is also working on a new ChatGPT subscription plan aimed at enterprise customers called ChatGPT Business. The idea is to augment ChatGPT with more granular data oversight and business services. Though built directly on the generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT Business will be treated as an API in data use, maintaining privacy by excluding the conversations from OpenAI’s future training data. There’s no price point or launch date yet, though the company said it will be available “in the coming months.” Presumably, it will be pricier than the $20 ChatGPT Plus for consumers.
The focus on privacy comes as international regulatory agencies are starting to consider how to address ChatGPT and the generative AI industry. The Italian Data Protection Authority, the Garante, went as far as ordering OpenAI to block ChatGPT in Italy after OpenAI uncovered and resolved a ChatGPT vulnerability that could have allowed some users to see the titles of conversations others had with the chatbot. The Garante then issued a list of requirements for reactivation that are likely impossible to achieve, especially with a deadline at the end of April. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is performing its own investigation to determine how to regulate generative AI.
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