A contract. A client file. You paste it into an AI. Yet before that everyday gesture, one question truly deserves an answer: where does the data go, and what does the provider actually do with it once it has left your screen? Training. Retention. Hosting country. Here is a general comparison between OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude) and Mistral, and above all the fix that makes you independent of their policies, whatever those policies say today and whatever they turn into tomorrow.
| Criterion | OpenAI (ChatGPT) | Anthropic (Claude) | Mistral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main hosting | United States | United States | European Union (France) |
| API / business: training on your data | Not by default | Not by default | Not by default |
| Consumer product | May train unless opted out | Generally not by default | Depends on the product, check |
| Data rétention | Limited, varies by plan | Limited, varies by plan | Limited, varies by plan |
| Enterprise / zero rétention option | Yes (Enterprise) | Yes (business) | Yes (pro / on-prem) |
Important: provider policies change fast. This table gives a général posture, to be confirmed in each service's current terms and DPA before any professional use.
What really differs
On paper, they look alike. On API and enterprise plans, all three providers claim the very same thing: no training on your data by default. The devil sits elsewhere. The real differences are about hosting (Mistral is the only European one), the exact retention of your content, and consumer products, where training can stay active until you opt out yourself. The rule for professional use fits in a single line: read the DPA, then pick the right plan.
The fix: anonymize before sending
The key point is simple. If the document no longer holds any identifying data the moment it leaves, then the provider's policy, its country, its retention window and its little opt-out checkboxes suddenly weigh far less in the balance. Pseudonymize before the AI. You reduce exposure whatever the model, and you re-identify the result locally, on your own machine. Total freedom: switch tools whenever you like, without ever changing your risk level.
That is exactly what Safe-Doc does. It pseudonymizes before the AI, never depending on the provider you picked nor on the one you might move to next year. Processing in the European Union, then purged. The key stays under your control. See the ChatGPT and GDPR at work guide.
Stay in control of your data, not hostage to a provider: pseudonymize first, re-identify locally.