Check Whether Your AI Chats Are Used to Train the AI
Some AI assistants can use your chats to improve their models. Here is where the setting lives in Gemini and Claude, and what changes when you turn it off.
The tip
Take two minutes to check whether the AI assistant you use can learn from your conversations, and switch it off if you would rather it did not.
Google Gemini: the setting is called Keep Activity. Google says it is on by default if you are 18 or over.
- On a computer, go to gemini.google.com, click Settings & help, then Activity.
- In the Gemini app on a phone, tap Menu, then your profile picture or initial, then Gemini Apps Activity.
- Near the top, tap On, then choose Turn off, or Turn off and delete activity to also clear past chats.
Claude: the setting is called Help Improve our AI models.
- Select your name in the settings menu, then Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Under Help Improve our AI models, switch the toggle off.
This works the same way on the website, desktop and mobile apps, according to Anthropic.
Why it matters
People paste all sorts of things into AI chats: work documents, health questions, family details. Google says some Gemini chats are read by trained human reviewers and asks users not to enter confidential information they would not want a reviewer to see. Knowing where the switch is lets you decide what happens to your words.
What turning it off does and does not do
- Gemini: future chats will not appear in your activity and will not be used to train Google's AI models, unless you send feedback. They are still kept for up to 72 hours so the service can work.
- Claude: new chats will not be used for future training, and stored chats will be left out of future training runs. Anything already used in training stays there.
- Feedback: Google says that if Keep Activity is off and you send feedback, it collects that feedback plus the last 24 hours of your chats. Skip feedback on sensitive conversations.
Using a different assistant? Search its official help pages for "data controls" or "model training" and check the setting the same way. The simplest rule still applies everywhere: do not type anything into an AI chat that you would not be comfortable with someone else reading.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning the setting off delete my old chats?
Not by itself. In Gemini you can choose Turn off and delete activity to remove past activity. Anthropic says turning its setting off stops future training on your chats, but data already used in training stays in models already trained.
Is anything kept when the setting is off?
Yes. Google says Gemini chats are still saved with your account for up to 72 hours to run the service and process feedback. Anthropic says chats flagged by its safety systems may still be used for trust and safety work.
What about a work or school account?
Google says your administrator controls Gemini activity settings on work and school accounts. Anthropic's consumer setting covers Claude Free, Pro and Max, while its commercial products follow separate terms.