A common concern we hear about AI is whether or not data that gets uploaded into a ChatGPT or Grok will be sucked up into their system and used to train their models.
The short answer is no, it won’t. The slightly longer answer is that there is an easy to find setting “improve the model for everyone” that you can turn off, and “temporary chat,” which ensures that even your local version of ChatGPT won’t recall your session.
Of greater concern should be cybersecurity. ChatGPT, Claude, and other chatbots are web-based tools with normal authentication, so can be hacked just like any other cloud software (or for that matter, any software at all). Where AI differs is its breadth of use - we get so comfortable popping information into it that we can relax our normal standards and store information as uploads or even answers to questions that we normally would be much more careful about.
Similarly, private chatbot accounts that are used for company business run the risk of data and content walking away with employees as they change jobs - in a much more useful format that might normally be the case. Where possible, it is much better for a company to provide enterprise access, for example through ChatGPT’s “Teams” subscription, than allow private chatbots - at least for now while we’re all learning to use them securely.
Jun 18, 2025 — Member Update
Dec 17, 2025 - Director of Operations at Ernest D. Menold, Inc., discusses how to integrate software solutions into the shop floor and what SMACNA members need to be mindful of when selecting a suite that suits their needs.
Dec 17, 2025 - Project Manager with Western Sheet Metal talks about embracing new technology and emerging best practices within a sheet metal shop and how to successfully leverage data in the shop.
Dec 17, 2025 - For the fourth consecutive year, SMACNA’s Executive Director of Government and Political Affairs recognized by The Hill newspaper.