(note: last updated V2 03 December 2025 – see here for the update history.)
Table of Contents
Overview of AI tools and data practices
- ChatGPT (OpenAI)
- Google Gemini (Education)
- Anthropic Claude (Enterprise Education versions)
- Microsoft Copilot (Consumer versions)
- Microsoft Copilot (Enterprise Education versions)
- Perplexity
- Poe (Quora’s AI Assistant Platform)
- Mistral AI
Content creation & audio tools
Summary of age requirements and data training
Overview of AI tools and Data Practices
The discussion around the use of generative AI tools in education is ongoing. With more institutions looking to implement these tools in classrooms and lecture theatres, we wanted to investigate their user agreements. We have focused on two key questions to answer for now – whether the tool has an age requirement and whether the provider of the tool collects user inputs for training their models. We were keen to see what the current differences might be between a variety of generative AI tools and so looked at a selection of text, image and audio services. Of course, this technology is constantly evolving and changing so it’s worth noting that the information in this blog is correct at the time of our investigation.
We have looked primarily at tools which can be accessed free of charge, as our focus is on those which are the most accessible to students. Many of these services do offer paid subscriptions and licenses, which may have different terms than their free versions, and we may explore these in a later post.
The table below shows a selection of generative AI tools and their terms regarding age restrictions and using user inputs for training. This is by no means a complete list, but it can help us explore the terms under which different providers are offering their services.
The information below is correct at the time of publishing.
| Tool type | Tool / provider | Age | Used for training? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text tools | OpenAI ChatGPT | 18 or 13 w/ consent | Yes | Training can be disabled in settings. |
| Google Gemini (Edu) | 13+ | No | School-managed accounts not used for training. | |
| Anthropic Claude (Enterprise/Edu) | 18+ | No | Enterprise data not used for training; explicit feedback may be. | |
| Microsoft Copilot (Consumer) | 18 or 13 w/ consent | Yes | Consumer data may be used to improve models. | |
| Microsoft Copilot (Enterprise/Edu) | 13+ | No | Prompts/outputs protected; not used for training. | |
| Perplexity | 18 or 13 w/ consent | Yes | Inputs/outputs may be used unless opted out. | |
| Poe | 13+ | Mixed | Official bots don’t train on chats; some third-party bots may. | |
| Mistral AI | 13+ | Yes | For Free, Pro or Student plans, user prompts and outputs are used by default for training unless users opt out. | |
| Image tools | OpenAI DALL·E | 18 or 13 w/ consent | Yes | Training can be disabled in settings. Opt-out available |
| Midjourney | 13+ | Yes | User prompts and generated images may be used to improve models. | |
| Adobe Firefly | 13+ | No (Enterprise/Edu) | Enterprise/education data not used for training. | |
| Support tools | GrammarlyGo | 13+ (US w/ consent) / 16+ | Yes | Data may be used unless opted out. |
| Wordtune | 18 or 13 w/ consent | Yes | Inputs may be used for training. | |
| Scholarcy | 13+ | No | Inputs/outputs not used for training. | |
| UpWord | 18 or 13 w/ consent | Not stated | Training policy not clearly published. | |
| Content & audio | AIVA.ai | 13+ | Yes | Inputs/outputs may be used for model training. |
| GitHub Copilot | 13+ | No (Enterprise/Edu) | Business/education data not used for training; individuals may opt in. |
We have found that most of the services we looked at required users to be a minimum of 13 years old, though several, including Anthropic’s popular Claude chatbot, require users to be 18. This may be an important point to consider when recommending the use of these tools at FE institutions or for anyone with younger students. As with many online tools, there is often little or no requirement for users to actually verify their age or prove they have parental consent before gaining access to these tools. Student users, therefore, might easily be in breach of the age requirements, whether that is done accidentally or on purpose.
Providers too have quite different approaches to whether they use user-submitted data for model training. Many providers we found were clear in their terms on whether they use inputted data for training, but some offered less clarity or did not mention either way. In those cases, we reached out directly to those providers and most returned a definitive answer. We are still awaiting clarification on some and will update this post when they respond.Interestingly, of those that do use user data to train, only a few stated that they anonymise that data where possible, and these still advise users to refrain from inputting personal information into their systems in the first place.Overall, this investigation has demonstrated the wide variety in the terms and conditions around the generative AI tools available. As many users, both staff and students, will be engaging with AI tools independently of their institution and outside of a typical institutional/enterprise license agreement, it is important to encourage all users to be aware of how data they input into these services might be used and to exercise caution.
Change log
V2 03 December 2025
Minstral AI added to the generative AI tools table.
V1.9 21 November 2025
Table format updated, AIVA.ai age requirement changed to 13+.
V1.8 28 August 2025
Updated Microsoft Copilot (Enterprise) to confirm availability for 13+ education accounts from late July 2025, with no parental consent required. Updated Google Gemini to clarify differences between consumer and educational accounts (all ages core service, additional services requiring parental consent, add-on 18+).
V1.7 08 July 2025
Added Microsoft’s confirmed rollout timeline for Copilot with commercial data protection for students aged 13+, with general availability expected in late July 2025.28.
V1.6 02 January 2025
Users of Google Gemini’s age requirement has changed to 13.
V1.5 21 November 2024
Users can now opt out of allowing Google Gemini to use their prompts for training its model.
V1.4 31 October 2024
Users of Adobe Firefly’s age requirement has changed to 13.
V1.3 16 October 2024
Fact checked and table of contents with anchor tags added.
V1.2 26 September 2024
Microsoft have announced that Copilot will have the same data protection as Copilot 365.
V1.1 06 August 2024
ChatGPT and DALL-E: Users can now generate images in ChatGPT. Both ChatGPT and DALL-E users can opt out of having their prompts used for model training in the ChatGPT settings tab. Microsoft Copilot: Enterprise versions, including Copilot with commercial data protection and Copilot for Microsoft 365, have been added to the table, including age requirements and information on whether user prompts are used for training. Midjourney: Clarification that Midjourney does not use individual user prompts to train its AI models.Poe: Added to the table, including age requirements and information on whether user prompts are used for training. Perplexity: Added to the table, including age requirements and information on whether user prompts are used for training.
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4 replies on “Navigating the terms and conditions of generative AI”
Have you looked at using POE with students under the age of 18? This seems to be a very popular AI tool for many colleges, and I would be interested in your views on its suitability for the 16 – 19 age group.
Hi there, we’re aware of POE but haven’t explored the use of it with students under 18 at this time, we are however currently developing further guidance around options for generative AI tools for under 18s which we intend to publish soon.
Hi, this is a great list, really helpful. Just to update, Google now allow you to opt out of LLM training when you use Gemini, putting it on a par with similar tools.
Hi Matt, thank you for the information I have had a look and updated the blog.