AI tool privacy · Starter list
A starter approved tools list
A first draft your team can edit. It follows one rule from our guides: if you wouldn’t post it on a public website, it doesn’t go into an unapproved AI tool.
Each line below is our advice, based on the tool’s page in this directory; the vendors do not use these words. Open a tool’s page to see the sources and dates. Change any line to fit how your business works, and name one person who decides when a new tool is approved.
| Tool | Starting point | Setting to check |
|---|---|---|
| Grok | Not approved for customer data. If allowed at all, “Improve the model” stays off. | “Improve the model” and Private Chat (personal) |
| ChatGPT | Approve ChatGPT Business or Enterprise for work. | “Improve the model for everyone” (personal plans) |
| Claude | Approve Claude Team or Enterprise for work. | “Help Improve our AI models” (personal plans); “Rate chats” (Team and Enterprise) |
| Gemini | Approve Gemini in your company Google Workspace account. | Keep Activity (personal accounts) |
| Microsoft Copilot | Approve Microsoft 365 Copilot with work accounts. | Model training opt out (personal app) |
| Perplexity | Approve Perplexity Enterprise for work. | “AI data retention” (personal plans) |
| Meta AI | Not approved for company or customer data. | Not applicable |
| DeepSeek | Not approved for company or customer data. | Not applicable |
| Zoom AI Companion | Approve, with a rule for who receives meeting summaries. | Meeting summary sharing; Meeting transcript setting (admins) |
| Otter | Approve Otter Enterprise, and tell everyone before recording. | “Help improve Otter” set to “Don’t allow sharing” |
| Fireflies | Approve a company workspace, and tell everyone before recording. | Meeting privacy limited to participants |
| Fathom | Approve a Teams plan, with AI training opted out for all users. | AI training opt-out (My Settings or Organization Settings) |
| Read AI | Approve a company workspace, with the Customer Experience Program left off. | Customer Experience Program left off |
| Notion AI | Approve inside your company workspace, with tight page permissions. | Page permissions; data-retaining models off (Enterprise) |
| Slack AI | Approve in your company Slack, and keep channel access tight. | Which AI features members can use; global model opt-out (by email) |
| Grok Bot | Approve a Teams or Enterprise account with Privacy Mode enforced. | Privacy Mode, enforced by an admin |
| Grammarly | Approve a team account with training turned off for everyone. | “Product Improvement and Training” |
| HubSpot Breeze | Approve in your company HubSpot account, with AI Model Training turned off. | AI Model Training turned off |
| Canva AI | Approve Canva Teams or higher for work, not personal accounts. | Designs private by default, no public links for customer data |
| QuickBooks AI (Intuit Assist) | Approve for bookkeeping tasks only, with per-person logins and no extra customer details in chats. | Per-person logins with limited access |
| Salesforce Agentforce | Approve in your company Salesforce org, with no AI training opt-in. | Normal record permissions, no AI training opt-in |
| Intercom Fin | Approve, with the fine-tuning opt-out turned on. | Fine-tuning opt-out on |
| Granola | Approve Enterprise, or Business with every user opted out of model training. | Model training off, transcript auto-deletion set |
| GitHub Copilot | Approve Copilot Business or Enterprise seats only. | Company organization seats only |
| Shopify Sidekick | Approve, with least-privilege staff permissions. | Least-privilege staff permissions |
| Mailchimp AI | Approve, uploading only the contact fields campaigns need. | Only needed contact fields uploaded |
| Cursor | Approve Teams or Enterprise with Privacy Mode enforced. | Privacy Mode enforced for everyone |
| Wispr Flow | Approve Enterprise, or Teams with training and cloud storage off for everyone. | “Improve the model for everyone” off, cloud storage off |
| Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant | Approve through a business or team Adobe account. | No AI feedback on customer documents |
| Zendesk AI | Approve, with unused AI features turned off. | Unused AI features off |
| DeepL | Approve DeepL Pro only. The free translator is not for work. | No free translator for work |
| Midjourney | Not approved for customer or confidential images. | Stealth mode on, Pro or Mega plan only |
| Freshworks Freddy AI | Approve after emailing Freshworks to opt out of AI training. | AI training opt-out requested |
| Mistral Vibe (Le Chat) | Approve Team or Enterprise with training turned off by an admin. | Training turned off by an admin |
Building your own approved tools list? The SafeStart Handbook includes one, with company accounts and safer privacy settings.