Is ChatGPT Safe? A Plain English Guide

If you have tried ChatGPT once or twice and are wondering whether it is wise to carry on, the answer is yes, for most things. This guide tells you exactly where the limits are and how to stay on the right side of them.

The Short Answer: Yes, With a Few Caveats

ChatGPT is safe for everyday use. Writing a letter, planning a holiday, asking about a recipe, researching something in the news. All of that is fine.

The risks come from two places: sharing information you should not share, and trusting answers you should not trust without checking. Both are easy to manage once you know what to look for.

We use ChatGPT regularly at WellWired for research and drafting. Having read through OpenAI's privacy policy, the key thing to know is that your conversations are stored, they are not private in the way a phone call is, and there are two settings worth changing. Everything else works much the same as any other online service.

What ChatGPT Does With Your Information

When you type something into ChatGPT, OpenAI (the company that makes it) receives and stores that conversation. By default, they can use your chats to improve future versions of the AI. The conversations sit on their servers, not just on your device.

This is different from searching Google. Google records what you searched for. ChatGPT records everything you wrote and everything it replied with. That is a more detailed record, which is why it matters what you type in.

OpenAI staff can access conversations in certain circumstances, for example to check for misuse of the service. It is not a private system. Treat every message you send as something that could, in theory, be reviewed.

The OpenAI Data Controls FAQ explains your options in full. The UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office, also publishes guidance on ChatGPT and your rights that is worth reading.

For a deeper look at privacy settings, read our dedicated ChatGPT privacy guide.

What You Should Never Type Into ChatGPT

Think of ChatGPT like a public noticeboard. Useful for posting general questions, but not the place for anything personal or sensitive.

These should never go into the chat box:

• Bank card numbers, sort codes, account numbers, or PINs
• Passwords or login details for any account
• Your NHS number (the unique number on your NHS card or in letters from your GP)
• Your National Insurance number (the reference used for tax and benefits, starting with two letters like AB 12 34 56 C)
• HMRC reference numbers or tax documents that include your name
• Your full name combined with your home address
• Photos of passports, driving licences, bank statements, or medical letters
• Medical records or test results with your name on them

Your NHS number and National Insurance number are exactly what identity fraudsters look for. Neither is something ChatGPT needs to help you draft a letter or answer a general question, so there is no reason to include them.

If you need ChatGPT to help write a letter that includes your address, type it with a placeholder such as "[your address here]" and fill it in yourself afterwards. We do this at WellWired whenever we use ChatGPT for correspondence.

For the full list of things worth keeping private, read our guide on what you should never type into ChatGPT.

The Two Settings Worth Changing

Most guides list six or more settings to change. There are really only two that matter for personal use.

Setting 1: Turn off data sharing for training.

By default, your conversations may be used to improve future versions of ChatGPT. You can switch this off.

1. Log into ChatGPT and click your name or profile icon in the bottom left corner.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Data controls.
4. Find the toggle labelled "Improve the model for everyone" and switch it off.

It takes about 30 seconds. Once it is off, your future conversations will not be used for training. This does not delete previous chats.

The steps look slightly different on a phone, where Settings is usually in a menu at the top, but the option is in the same place.

Setting 2: Use Temporary Chat for anything sensitive.

ChatGPT has a feature called Temporary Chat. When you use it, the conversation is not saved to your history and, according to OpenAI, is not used for training. Look for the pencil icon at the top of the page, or a "Temporary chat" label near the new chat button.

This is useful for one-off questions you would rather not store at all.

Can ChatGPT Be Used Against You?

You may have heard that scammers are using AI. That is true. But the risk works differently to what most people expect.

ChatGPT itself will not steal from you. Using it will not put your money at risk or let anyone into your accounts. The risk is that someone else uses a similar AI tool to send you convincing fake messages, pretending to be your bank, HMRC, or a parcel delivery company.

In 2024, security researchers at Group-IB found that more than 100,000 sets of ChatGPT login credentials had been stolen by malware and sold on criminal forums. This led to a wave of phishing emails in 2026 designed to look like official messages from OpenAI, tricking people into handing over their login details on fake websites. This pattern became known as ChatGPhish.

If you get an email or text claiming to be from OpenAI, do not click any links in it. Go directly to chat.openai.com in your browser instead.

The National Cyber Security Centre publishes guidance on protecting yourself from phishing and scam messages. If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre.

For more on how these schemes work, read our guides to AI-powered scam calls and AI voice scams. Our staying safe with AI hub has a broader overview.

Is ChatGPT Safe for Older Adults?

Yes. The rules are the same regardless of age: keep personal details out of the chat box, check important answers before acting on them, and use the two settings above.

One question that comes up specifically for older adults is grandchildren using your devices. If a grandchild has set up a ChatGPT account on your tablet or computer and linked it to your email address, they can access conversations made under that account. It is worth checking whether any accounts on your device were set up by someone else.

If you are new to AI and want a friendly starting point, read our plain English guide for older adults new to AI.

Is ChatGPT Accurate? The Problem With Trusting Its Answers

ChatGPT sounds confident. That is part of the problem.

It produces plausible-sounding answers that are sometimes simply wrong. In AI circles this is called hallucination, which is a polite way of saying it makes things up. It happens across many topics, and it happens on things that matter: drug interactions, legal rights, benefit entitlements, historical dates.

The fix is simple. Treat every ChatGPT answer like a first draft, not a final answer. For anything with real consequences, check what it tells you with an official source before acting on it.

This applies to health information in particular. ChatGPT can explain things clearly, but it cannot diagnose you and may get details wrong. Our guide on using AI for health information explains where the sensible limits are.

Do You Need to Pay to Stay Safe?

No. The free version of ChatGPT runs on GPT-4o, which is a capable model. Paying for ChatGPT Plus (around £20 a month) does not make it safer or more private. It gives you faster responses and access to extra features, but the data handling is the same on both tiers.

Start with the free version. Most people find it does everything they need. For a full breakdown of what is included at each level, read our article on whether ChatGPT is free to use.

What We Recommend

ChatGPT is good for tasks where being slightly wrong does not matter much, or where you will check the output before using it.

Good uses:

• Drafting letters and emails (you review before sending)
• Planning meals or shopping lists
• Researching topics you want to understand better
• Getting ideas for trips, gifts, or hobbies
• Simplifying confusing documents into plain English
• Practising a new skill at your own pace

Avoid using it for anything where a wrong answer has real consequences. Medical decisions, legal matters, financial choices. Use it as a starting point if you like, but always check with a qualified professional before acting.

Not sure how to get started? Our beginner's guide to using ChatGPT walks you through the basics. If you want to build proper confidence with AI, the WellWired Academy covers everything at your own pace.

FAQ

Helpful Links

• What you should never type into ChatGPT
• Is ChatGPT safe for your privacy?
• Beginner's guide to using ChatGPT
• Staying safe with AI
• OpenAI privacy policy
• ICO guidance on ChatGPT
• Action Fraud