AI Is Already on Your Phone and Computer: 6 Settings You Should Check

Artificial intelligence is no longer something you have to download or go looking for. It is being built directly into the phones, computers, browsers, email programs, search engines, and other services we use every day.

I am a big believer in AI. I use it regularly, and I think it can be an incredible tool for both individuals and businesses. But as these tools become more connected to our everyday lives, we also need to understand what they can access, what they remember, and what information we are giving them.

The good news is that you do not need to be a computer expert to do this. Here are six areas worth checking.

One quick note: Technology companies change menus and settings frequently, so the exact wording may look slightly different depending on your phone, computer, app version, or account.

1. Check Whether Your AI Conversations Are Being Saved or Used

When you have a conversation with ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or another AI assistant, do you know what happens to that conversation afterward?

This is one of the first settings I would check.

If you use ChatGPT

Open Settings > Data Controls.

One setting you may see is Improve the model for everyone. Turning this off means new conversations in your personal ChatGPT account will not be used to improve OpenAI's models. Your normal conversations can still remain in your chat history.

ChatGPT also offers Temporary Chat for conversations you do not want saved in your regular history or used to create memories. OpenAI says Temporary Chats are not used to train its models and are deleted from its systems after up to 30 days.

If you use Google Gemini

Go into Gemini and look for Settings & help > Activity.

Google's Keep Activity setting controls whether your Gemini activity is saved to your Google Account. You can also delete previous activity or choose an automatic deletion period. Google currently offers auto-delete options including 3, 18, or 36 months.

The important thing is not that everyone needs to turn these settings off. It is simply that you should know what they are set to.

2. Check What Your AI Assistant Is Connected To

AI becomes much more useful when it can work with other information.

For example, Gemini can connect with services such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Photos, Spotify, and other supported apps. That can allow you to ask AI to find information, summarize an email, work with documents, or help with your calendar.

That is extremely convenient, but it is worth checking what you have connected.

In Gemini, look under:

Settings & help > Connected Apps

Review the list and ask yourself:

Do I actually want AI connected to this account or service?

If yes, great. Leave it connected.

If you see something you no longer use or do not want connected, turn it off.

The same idea applies to any AI service that offers connections to your email, cloud storage, contacts, calendar, or other accounts.

Do not automatically assume that a connection is bad. Many of these connections are what make AI useful. Just make sure they are connections you chose and still want.

3. Check Microsoft Recall on Newer Windows Computers

If you recently purchased a new Windows computer, especially a Copilot+ PC, there is another setting worth knowing about.

Microsoft has a feature called Recall.

Recall is designed to help you find something you previously saw on your computer by saving searchable snapshots of activity on your screen.

For example, maybe you remember looking at a website or document last week but cannot remember where you found it. Recall can potentially help you locate it.

That sounds useful, but it also means this is a feature you should understand before using.

On supported Windows computers, go to:

Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots

Microsoft allows users to manage saved snapshots and filter specific applications and websites from Recall. You can also filter things such as banking websites if you do not want them included.

My advice is simple:

If your computer has Recall, open the settings and see what it is doing.

You may love the feature. You may decide you do not need it. Either choice is fine as long as you understand what is turned on.

4. Review What Apps Can Access on Your Phone

This is something I recommend even if you do not use AI.

Over the years, most of us have installed dozens of apps. We click Allow when an app asks for permission and then completely forget about it.

AI makes it even more important to occasionally review those permissions.

On an iPhone

Go to:

Settings > Privacy & Security

From there you can review which apps have requested access to things such as:

• Photos

• Contacts

• Camera

• Microphone

• Location

• Calendar

You can turn individual permissions on or off. Apple also has an App Privacy Report that can show how apps have been using permissions you granted them.

On an Android phone

The wording can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, but you can usually go to:

Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy > Permission manager

You can also go to:

Settings > Apps > Choose an App > Permissions

Android allows you to see which apps have access to your camera, microphone, contacts, location, photos, files, and other information.

As you go through the list, use common sense.

Does a weather app need your microphone?

Does a simple game need access to all of your contacts?

Does an app you have not used in two years still need access to your photos?

If something does not make sense, turn that permission off. You can usually turn it back on later if the app actually needs it.

5. Think Before You Give Personal Information to AI

This one is less of a setting and more of a habit.

AI is very conversational. That is one of the reasons people like using it.

You can explain a situation in detail and receive an answer that feels like you are talking to another person. Unfortunately, that can also make people comfortable sharing information they would never type into a normal search engine.

I would be extremely careful about putting things like these into a consumer AI service:

• Passwords

• Two-factor authentication codes

• Social Security numbers

• Complete credit card numbers

• Bank account information

• Copies of identification containing sensitive information

• Tax documents with personal information

• Confidential information belonging to somebody else

You can still ask AI questions about these subjects.

Instead of giving AI your actual bank account number, ask the question without including it.

Instead of uploading an entire tax return just to ask one general tax question, remove or block out unnecessary personal information first.

Businesses need to think about this too

This is becoming a much bigger issue for small businesses.

Employees are using AI to write emails, summarize documents, analyze spreadsheets, create marketing material, review contracts, and help answer customer questions.

That can save a tremendous amount of time.

But businesses should decide what employees are allowed to put into AI systems.

Customer records, passwords, financial information, private employee information, confidential contracts, and other sensitive data should not simply be copied into whatever AI tool an employee happens to be using.

AI can absolutely help a small business. The goal should not be to ban it. The goal should be to use it with some basic rules and common sense.

6. Do Not Assume the Default Settings Are Right for You

This is probably the simplest advice in this entire article.

Stop automatically accepting every default setting.

Technology is changing quickly. An update to your phone, browser, computer, or favorite application can introduce a feature that did not exist when you originally set up the device.

Every so often, take ten minutes and review:

1. Your phone's privacy permissions

2. Your AI assistant's privacy and history settings

3. Connected apps and services

4. Your Windows privacy settings

5. Browser extensions you no longer use

6. Apps that have access to your camera, microphone, photos, contacts, or location

You do not need to turn everything off.

In fact, if you turn off every permission, many of the features you enjoy will stop working.

The goal is simply to ask:

Do I understand why this is turned on, and am I comfortable with it?

If the answer is yes, move on.

If the answer is no, take a closer look.

AI Is Not Something We Need to Be Afraid Of

We went through similar conversations when online banking became popular. We did it again with smartphones, social media, cloud storage, and online shopping.

AI is the next major technology we need to learn how to use responsibly.

I think AI is going to make a lot of things easier. It can help us communicate, organize information, learn new things, run businesses more efficiently, and complete tasks that used to take hours.

But the more powerful our technology becomes, the more important it is to understand the settings behind it.

So take a few minutes, open your settings, and look around.

You might be surprised by what is already turned on.

The best way to use new technology is not to be afraid of it. It is to understand it.