Protecting Confidentiality: The Role of Executive Assistants in Using ChatGPT
- Richard Arnott
- May 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 2
As ChatGPT becomes a go-to productivity tool in offices around the world, Executive Assistants (EAs) are leveraging it to streamline various tasks. This includes everything from drafting emails to summarizing meetings, preparing speeches, and suggesting travel itineraries. It's fast, intelligent, and a significant time-saver. However, this raises an important question:
“Could my use of ChatGPT accidentally expose confidential company information?”
The inconvenient answer is: yes — if it’s not used correctly. ChatGPT, like any powerful tool, has its risks. For Executive Assistants, often trusted with the most sensitive information in the organization, the stakes are especially high.
How Innocent Use Can Become a Confidentiality Breach
EAs typically manage executive-level information, including strategic plans, unreleased financials, M&A activity, board communications, HR issues, and crisis response materials. Using ChatGPT to polish or summarize this type of content may seem harmless. However, it poses risks if you're using the wrong version of the tool.
Here are a few realistic examples of how things can go wrong:
Drafting a Board Paper: Imagine you paste in a confidential paragraph to improve its wording or grammar. If you're using the free web version on your personal laptop, that content could be stored or reviewed under OpenAI’s model training processes. Unless you have opted out, this could lead to violations of internal policies or legal agreements.
Summarizing a Contract: You input contract terms to create a simple summary for your executive. In doing so, you’ve unintentionally shared proprietary client data outside secure company systems.
Brainstorming Talking Points: You may use ChatGPT to generate responses to a sensitive HR or reputational issue. If this information is not secured in an enterprise version, it has now left a controlled environment.
Even if your company has invested in ChatGPT Enterprise, which ensures full data protection—including not training on your inputs—many of us still have easy access to the free version on our personal devices.
This is where the real vulnerability lies.
The Human Weak Point: Convenience and Habit
No malicious intent is required to cause a breach. It only takes one moment of distraction:
You’re working late at home.
You have two tabs open: one for work and one for your personal ChatGPT account.
You mistakenly paste into the wrong one.
In an instant, sensitive content is exposed. No hacking. No negligence. Just a simple human mistake.
We trust our people to make the right choices. We implement security measures. Yet, the weak point remains the same: humans are humans, and mistakes can and do happen—especially under pressure.
How EAs Can Be Part of the Solution
As Executive Assistants, you serve not only as support for leadership but also as active managers of confidentiality, discretion, and risk. This unique positioning enables you to lead safe AI use within your organization.
So, where can you make a significant impact?
✅ Champion Awareness and Clarity
Raise awareness about the differences between the free and enterprise versions of ChatGPT. Many employees, including senior leaders, may not recognize the risks associated with personal versions. Be the voice that asks, “Are we sure we’re using the right version?”
✅ Develop Protocols for the Executive Office
Create an easy-to-understand AI usage guide for your executive suite. This should outline what’s appropriate to input into ChatGPT, what’s not, and which version should always be used.
✅ Promote the Use of ChatGPT Enterprise
If your organization has access to the enterprise version, encourage its use and assist with onboarding. If not, advocate for the need. A secure AI tool is no longer a luxury—it has become a necessity.
✅ Embed Caution into Everyday Practice
Act as a gatekeeper. If the information seems sensitive, do not share it with any AI tool without confirmation. When in doubt, consider doing the work manually or consulting IT.
Understanding the Balance of Convenience and Security
ChatGPT is not the threat — it’s how we use it that truly matters. For EAs, who often operate at the heart of an organization’s confidential operations, the margin for error is minimal. The convenience of AI must go hand in hand with discipline and awareness.
In today’s fast-paced work environment, where one copy-and-paste action can accidentally expose a strategy, a merger, or a private conversation—vigilance is your best asset.
The Evolving Role of Executive Assistants
Executive Assistants have always been guardians of discretion. In the age of AI, this responsibility has evolved—and so has the opportunity to lead the way. An Executive Assistant who understands both strategy and planning becomes indispensable.
By balancing the big picture with day-to-day execution, you can elevate your role from an administrative function to a key strategic enabler within your organization.
Conclusion
The importance of maintaining confidentiality within an organization cannot be understated. As an Executive Assistant, it's crucial to embrace the capabilities of powerful tools like ChatGPT while also safeguarding sensitive information. By doing so, you contribute significantly to your organization's integrity and security, paving the way for responsible technology use.
About the Author: Richard Arnott, BA, FInatAM, FIToL
Richard is a Director of BMTG (UK) Ltd and the author and lead presenter of the globally recognized Advanced Certificate for the Executive Assistant: ACEA® program. He also serves on the editorial board of Lucy Brazier OBE's Executive Support Magazine.
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