Aliens might be on their way, but the robots are very much here. The apps you rely on every day use your data in many ways. The latest craze? Your data’s making a whole lot of robots a whole lot smarter.

Earlier this month, Zoom users discovered the app was using data from video calls to train its artificial intelligence (AI). It didn’t go over well, and they quickly backtracked (sort of). Now, we’re all wondering what these companies are really up to. 

While some services allow users to opt out of AI training, many of your favorites operate in murky waters. Here’s how some popular apps feed your info to the robots.

Training day

ChatGPT

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a great place to get creative, solve problems and generate unique ideas. Unfortunately, it also uses your prompts to skyrocket its AI IQ.

Many organizations and institutions have already banned ChatGPT from the workplace. Even big companies like Amazon and JP Morgan Chase have warned about using the chatbot and who (or what) it might be sharing data with.

If you have a ChatGPT account, follow these steps to disable AI training: 

  • Click the three dots next to your account name in the bottom left corner.
  • Tap Settings > Data Controls.
  • Slide the toggle next to Chat History & Training to the left to turn it off.

Google and Gmail

Up until a few years ago, Google’s AI could read your email. You know, to “better serve you” (eye roll). Although they claim not to do it anymore, here’s how to put limits on how Google shares your data:

  • Log in to your Google account.
  • Click your profile icon.
  • Select Manage your Google account.
  • Tap Data & privacy on the left side of the page.
  • Scroll to History settings.
  • Toggle off Web & App Activity, Location History and YouTube History.
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Zoom

Although Zoom took back its AI training clause, the platform still keeps your data for many other shady reasons. Now, Zoom won’t use your data for training unless you consent, but here’s what you agree to every time you sign in:

“You agree to grant and hereby grant Zoom a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license and all other rights required or necessary to redistribute, publish, import, access, use, store, transmit, review, disclose, preserve, extract, modify, reproduce, share, use, display, copy, distribute, translate, transcribe, create derivative works, and process Customer Content.”

The only way to opt out of all that is not to use Zoom. 

Reddit

Reddit’s CEO recently said he has plans to charge AI bots who scrape the platform for data. Shocker: Reddit users won’t see any of those proceeds. 

If you’re a Reddit regular, know that the great advice you give on your favorite forum could wind up being an answer on ChatGPT … and you won’t get any commission.

Grammarly

You’re feeding the AI beast if you rely on Grammarly to spell-check your documents and emails. The platform isn’t shy about letting users know that any text you place in the system can be used to train AI. You’re handing over consent every time you use the app. 

Instagram

Back in 2018, we found out that Meta scraped billions of Instagram posts to train AI. Meta apparently chalked the data harvest up to improvements to its object recognition and computer vision systems. 

That all sounds like it’s straight up out of a sci-fi novel. If they were doing that stuff back in 2018, what are they doing now?

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Privacy, please

Companies and services reveal everything they do with your data in their privacy policies. Unfortunately, they’re ridiculously lengthy and filled with legalese. Who has the attention span to read the entire thing?

Instead, use the Ctrl + F shortcut on Windows (Cmd + F on Mac) and type in keywords like “privacy” or “AI training” to look up what you need. 

If you’d rather use services with a known commitment to keeping your data safe, check out these options:

  • A great Zoom alternative for texts and video calls is Signal. It’s growing in popularity and features end-to-end encryption. 
  • ProtonMail, an alternative to mainstream email, puts your privacy first. It’s ad-free, which means it’s not collecting your data for revenue.
  • If you have a personal website or blog, use robots.txt to block OpenAI (ChatGPT) from scraping your content. It allows you to put up a paywall or protect your page with a password.
  • DuckDuckGo and StartPage are search sites that don’t track you. 

RELATED: If you care about privacy, hide your email address.

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