Keeping Data Safe with Thinkific’s AI Teaching Assistant

Many of our customers have asked how we protect their data when using our new AI Teaching Assistant —and we have the answers. Here’s the simple truth: your content remains yours, your students’ data stays private, and we back that commitment with rigorous security and privacy measures.

Meet Julia, an established expert looking to expand

Julia has built a successful business, coaching clients on personal finance and investing strategies. After years of running in-person workshops and online seminars, Julia is ready to scale her impact with an online course called Budget Wisdom 101. 

But as her audience grows, so do the questions – and Julia knows she can’t keep up with every customer inquiry on her own. She wants to support her customers while protecting her time and the content she’s worked hard to create. 

That’s when she considers activating Thinkific’s AI Teaching Assistant. But first, she wants answers to the same critical questions many of our customers ask: Who can access my content? Is my data used to train AI models? How long is my content stored? Can I control how my data is used? 

Let’s walk through how Thinkific answers each of those questions, and the safeguards we’ve put in place to earn your trust. 

How we keep your content and student data safe 

We’ve designed our AI tools with one principle in mind: you stay in control.

Here’s what that looks like under the hood:

• You own your content: Thinkific customers retain full ownership of the content they input, as well as any content generated through our AI tools.
  
• Your content won’t train AI models: Thinkific will never use your proprietary content or customer data to train AI models, and we require the same from any subprocessors we work with.
  
• We don’t use your content without permission: You must explicitly opt in before we use any part of your content beyond its intended purpose.
  
• No risky AI responses: We implement strong safeguards to minimize harmful or inaccurate output, including moderation filters and alignment with the OWASP Top 10 for Large Language Model Applications.

You’re in control: opt-outs, encryption and compliance 

When it comes to privacy, transparency and control go hand in hand. Here’s how we empower you to manage your data: 

• Easily opt out: You can turn off the AI Teaching Assistant at any time. When turned off, this will promptly stop data transmission to subprocessors.
• End-to-End Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256), meeting rigorous security standards. 
• Limited retention: Any data temporarily stored by subsprocessors is deleted after a maximum of 30 days. 
• Anonymous when aggregated: If any data is used to improve functionality, it is first anonymized or aggregated.
• Advance notice of subprocessors: We provide at least 15 days’ notice before integrating new subprocessors. Customers have 30 days to review, object, or cancel for a refund.
• We meet global standards: Thinkific is committed to complying with global privacy regulations, including GDPR (UK/Europe), CPRA (California), GRPA (South Korea), LAW-25 (Québec), and PIPEDA (Canada), ensuring stringent data protection.

Getting started is simple

Once Julia feels confident in the safeguards, she enables the AI teaching assistant right from her Thinkific dashboard. She selects the courses she wants the assistant to reference, customizes the assistant’s tone and branding to match her voice and align perfectly with her business, and clicks “Publish.” Within moments, her AI Teaching Assistant is live and ready to support her learners 24/7 with real answers based on her actual course content.

What it looks like in action 

One of Julia’s learners, Maria, has a question about dollar-cost averaging. Instead of waiting for Julia’s reply, Maria types her question into the chat with the AI teaching assistant and instantly gets a helpful answer, complete with a direct link to exact lesson where Julia explains the concept. Julia’s inbox stays manageable, and Maria continues learning smoothly and confidently. 

FAQ

1. Will my content train AI models? No, not unless you explicitly tell us to.
2. Who can process my data? Only carefully vetted subprocessors, and only temporarily.
3. How long is my data stored? Up to 30 days maximum, in which it’s automatically deleted from the subprocessor.. 
4. Can I disable the AI feature? Yes, easily, anytime.
5. Where can I learn more? Check our Help Center, reach out to your Customer Success Manager, or email [email protected].

Julia’s success story: could it be yours?

By the end of her first day, Julia’s AI Teaching Assistant is helping her learners in real time – answering questions, linking back to her content and lessons accurately, and easing her workload. Her audience is delighted, and her expertise stays protected.

If you’re looking for a secure, scalable way to serve your customers, we’re here to help. Contact our team today for access, review our comprehensive security documents, or reach out if you have more questions.