Data retention is how long a service keeps the data you give it (chats, uploaded files, recordings) and what happens to that data when you delete it. Deleting something on your screen does not always mean it is gone from the vendor’s systems. For example, a staff member might delete a chat where they pasted a donor list, but the AI vendor may still hold a copy for a while afterward.
Why it matters
AI vendors often keep content for a period even after you delete it, for safety review or legal reasons. That period often differs by plan, so a free account and a paid team account from the same vendor may follow different rules. Before your staff put client notes, donor records or meeting recordings into an AI tool, ask the vendor three things. How long do you keep what we upload? Does deleting it remove it right away? Does the answer change with our plan? You may also see the terms zero data retention and training opt-out. Both are related to retention, but each one answers a separate question. Data retention is one of the fields we record in our tool profiles, so you can compare tools before you choose one.
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