If I use a GPT add-on in my spreadsheet, is my data still private, or can it be leaked to other GPT users?

Question

I use spreadsheets a lot. Some of my spreadsheets have student details like school, classroom, name, age, parent names, etc. Other spreadsheets have different data sets but also contain sensitive data or data that I don't want to be available to others.

I have read that some companies have banned the use of ChatGPT due to concerns about leaking company data. If I install spreadsheet extensions / add-ons that add GPT features, will the data in my spreadsheets be leaked?

---

Some examples of extensions are

• GPT for Docs™ Sheets™ Slides™ by Qualtir
• GPT for Sheets™ and Docs™ by Talarian

Both can be found in the Google Workspace Marketplace. It's not required to have a Google Workspace account to look around.

---

References

From https://www.hr-brew.com/stories/2023/05/11/these-companies-have-banned-chatgpt-in-the-office

Apple. The tech giant restricted employee use of ChatGPT, according to the Wall Street Journal. Apple reportedly told employees the decision was to prevent the release of confidential information. The company is reportedly working on a generative AI tool of its own.

JPMorgan Chase. The bank has restricted employee use of ChatGPT, Jennifer Lavoie, global technology media relations rep, confirmed to HR Brew in an email. Lavoie pointed to remarks from CEO Jamie Dimon in the bank’s 2022 shareholder report highlighting company efforts to imagine new ways to incorporate generative AI into employee practices in the future.

Answer 1

ChatGPT (the website/app) does, by default, use conversations for training. This can be disabled through "Data Controls":

Web interface:
To disable chat history and model training, navigate to ChatGPT > Data Controls. [...]

iOS app:
To disable chat history and model training, tap the three dots on the top right corner of the screen > Settings > Data Controls > toggle off Chat History & Training.

Source: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-faq

---

However, except for ChatGPT plugins, apps claiming to be "powered by ChatGPT" or similar likely mean that they're using the same models as ChatGPT is using (GPT 4 and GPT 3.5 Turbo) through the OpenAI API. In particular for the two you mention:

[GPT for Docs™ Sheets™ Slides™ by Qualtir:] It is built on top OpenAI GPT-4 and Google Bard™ models

[GPT for Sheets™ and Docs™ by Talarian:] It is built on top OpenAI ChatGPT, GPT-3 and GPT-4 models.

OpenAI's API does not train on data submitted to it:

OpenAI does not use data submitted to and generated by our API to train OpenAI models or improve OpenAI’s service offering

Source: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/5722486-how-your-data-is-used-to-improve-model-performance

(c) Use of Content to Improve Services. We do not use Content that you provide to or receive from our API (“API Content”) to develop or improve our Services.

Source: https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use

---

You should also be aware of data potentially collected by the add-ons themselves, which may vary from add-on to add-on. For example, Qualtir claim:

We do not store your data (inputs, clicks, or drive files). It stays on Google’s servers.

Source: https://gpt.space/privacy-policy

Answer 2

You are still exposing your valuable data to 3rd party.