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The model is the same, your data is not
ChatGPT is as safe as the plan you work on and the agreements you make. The model is the same on every plan; what differs is what happens to your data and who manages the accounts. A temporary chat does not train models, even on the free version, but that is a button someone has to remember, not a policy. What each plan costs is in ChatGPT pricing; if your business runs on Microsoft 365, read ChatGPT or Copilot.
Four plans, and the line where business data starts
The difference is not in the model but in what happens to your data.
What the GDPR and the EU AI Act ask
When an employee pastes a client file into ChatGPT, you process personal data at a third party. That needs a data processing agreement, which business plans provide and an employee's free account does not. Your privacy policy mentions that you use such services. Regulators do act: in December 2024 the Italian data protection authority fined OpenAI 15 million euro.
On top of that the EU AI Act has asked for AI literacy since 2 February 2025: whoever lets staff use AI makes sure they know what it does and where it goes wrong. What that means in practice is in do I need an AI policy; which rules apply to you, the EU AI Act checker shows. To keep data in Europe for certain, compare with which chatbot is European.
What safe work costs for eight people
| Choice | Sum | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone on Free | 8 times 0 euro | 0 euro, but data trains and nobody manages it |
| Everyone on Business | 8 seats times 21 euro times 12 months | 2,016 euro |
| Business plus an afternoon of explanation | 2,016 euro plus 8 times 4 hours times 50 euro | 3,616 euro |
For 168 euro a month you know which accounts exist, nothing trains on your data and you have a processing agreement. What AI brings against what it costs, work out with the AI cost calculator; torn between models, see ChatGPT vs Claude.
A week to put it right
Ask your team honestly who already uses ChatGPT and with which account; the answer usually surprises. Move everyone who uses it for work to a business account, put the rules below on one page and discuss them in a half-hour team meeting. That is enough to show you worked on AI literacy, and it removes the biggest risk: client data in an account nobody at your business manages. Using more tools than ChatGPT? See AI tools for business.
Three agreements that make the difference
- For work, only the company account, never a free private one.
- Never in: personal data that is not needed, contracts, figures that are not public, passwords.
- A person reads what AI produces before it reaches a client, even when it looks right.
Reading along, training and invented answers
Can OpenAI read my conversations?
On every plan OpenAI may keep conversations for abuse monitoring. On business plans it does not use them to train models, and you control how long they are kept.
How do I switch off training on a free account?
In the settings under data controls, switch off the option that improves the model for everyone. It applies per account, so every employee has to do it themselves.
Is ChatGPT safe from invented answers?
No. ChatGPT can be convincingly wrong, especially with figures, laws and sources. Have a person check what goes to a client.