Zero data retention is a contractual arrangement in which a provider does not store the content sent to its models beyond the time needed to return a response. It is frequently the control that makes a regulated use case viable, and it needs confirming in the agreement rather than assumed from marketing material.
Why it matters for a UK business
It is the arrangement that lets a business put genuinely sensitive material through a model without that material being stored or used to train anything. It is also the arrangement most people assume they have and do not.
What it looks like in practice
A vendor commitment that your inputs are not retained after the request is served. It is usually a contractual or enterprise-tier feature, not a default, and the consumer version of the same product typically does not offer it.
What to do about it
Get it in writing from the vendor, tied to the specific product tier you are using. Then write it into your data boundary so the people using the tool know which material is covered and which is not.
Related terms
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Where your AI data is actually stored → · All 22 terms in the glossary · The resource library
If this is the term that has come up in your business and you want it worked through against your own situation rather than in the abstract, that is a conversation, not a page.
Speak to ChrisWritten by Chris Duffy. Last reviewed .