A training opt-out is a setting or request that tells an AI vendor not to use your content to train or improve its models. Your content means what you type into the tool and the files you upload. For example, a staff member might paste a donor thank-you letter into a chatbot to polish the wording. With an opt-out in place, the vendor should not use that letter to teach its next model.
Why it matters
The default depends on your account. On free or personal accounts, some tools use your content for training unless you opt out. Business plans often have training turned off from the start. On team plans, an admin may control the setting for everyone, so individual staff may not be able to change it. An opt-out usually covers future use only and does not undo training that already happened. Check the setting before your team pastes in client, donor or staff details. Also watch for people using personal accounts for work, a form of shadow AI. Ask each vendor whether training is on by default for your plan and who can change it. Training is a separate question from data retention, so ask about both.
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