People use their private ChatGPT for work, now what?
Pretty much unavoidable in 2026. Banning rarely works, giving a workable alternative does.
Try this first
- 1Ask first what they use it for. Typically: text editing, summarising, brainstorming. All fine, the issue is which account it runs on.
- 2Give a business option. ChatGPT Team, Copilot Chat in M365, or Gemini in Workspace is usually cheaper than leaking a single customer file.
- 3Spell out what absolutely cannot go into a private account: customer names, contracts, salary info, source code with secrets. Concrete beats abstract.
- 4Shadow IT signals an unmet need, not bad people. A ban without an alternative just makes use stealthier.
- 5Do not audit. You want people open when they made a mistake, not hiding it.
When to bring us in
Suspect sensitive data already landed in private accounts: we help scope the damage without a witch hunt.
See also
- Can I paste a customer file or email into ChatGPT?Depends on the account and settings. Free ChatGPT and a Team tenant behave very differently from what most people assume.
- I want a one-page AI policy for my teamA real one-pager beats a thick document nobody reads. Four headers and concrete examples.
- How do I tell if an AI answer is made up?Models sound confident even when they are wrong. A few habits catch most mistakes.
None of the above fits?
Describe your situation below. We pass your input plus the steps you already saw to our AI and return tailored next-step advice. If it's too risky to DIY, we'll say so.
Or skip the DIY entirely
Our Managed IT clients do not look these things up. One point of contact, a fixed monthly price, resolved within working hours.