FAQs about privacy using AI on Dropbox

This article answers frequently asked questions about privacy and Dropbox AI. 

How does Dropbox work with AI?

Dropbox features use a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence to generate useful and accurate content. Here’s a basic explanation of these different technologies:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a wide-ranging branch of computer science concerned with building machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.
  
  
• Generative AI models (GenAI) are algorithms that use machine learning techniques to produce new content, such as text or images, based on patterns learned from existing data.
  
  
• Large language models (LLMs) are algorithms which utilize large datasets to summarize, recognize, predict, and translate content.
  
  
• Machine Learning (ML) aims to teach a machine how to perform a specific task and provide accurate results by identifying patterns.
   

Some of our AI features utilize software from third-party partners that requires sending data through outside LLMs and generative AI models to generate responses. 
 

What information is shared with third-party partners?

Your files within Dropbox are sent to a third-party AI only when you chose to interact with AI powered features. For example, when you ask a question about a file. 

We only use third-party technology partners we have vetted. Their software will perform tasks with your information on our behalf, but we remain responsible for the handling of that information. Additionally, we won’t let our third-party partners train their models on our user data without consent.

Learn more about Dropbox’s commitment to your privacy when sharing your data in our full privacy policy.
 

When is my content shared with third-party AI partners?

• If you or your team is participating in the Dropbox AI alpha, the Third-party AI toggle in your account settings is turned On by default. Only the content relevant to an explicit request or command is sent to our third-party AI partners to generate an answer, summary, or transcript.
• If you’re eligible to participate or your team is in the Dropbox AI alpha but the Third-party AI toggle in your account settings is turned Off, your content isn’t shared with our third-party AI partners.
• If you aren’t eligible to participate and your team isn’t in the Dropbox AI alpha, your content won’t be shared with our third-party AI partners.

How is my data protected with Dropbox AI?

We acknowledge the responsibility of securing data privacy when utilizing AI tools. To that end, we established AI principles to guide our actions. They include transparency in how we use AI, not using AI as a means to sell data, and hearing and learning from your feedback.

Read our full commitment to customers when using AI.

Who are Dropbox’s third-party partners for AI?

We only use partners whose privacy policies and commitment to our customer’s rights and safety align with our own. 

At this time, we’re partnered with one third-party AI partner, OpenAI. Open AI is an artificial intelligence research organization that develops cutting-edge language models and advanced AI technologies. Your data is never used to train their internal models, and is deleted from OpenAI’s servers within 30 days. Read OpenAI’s full privacy policy.

How can I manage the use of third-party AI in my Dropbox account?

You can manage the use of third-party AI for your Dropbox account from your Settings page, including opting-in or out at any point. Learn how to manage your third-party settings.

Use of third-party AI on team accounts is managed by the team admin.