AI tools and client data
Is Canopy AI safe for client data?
Short answer: Whether Canopy AI is safe for client data turns on which plan your staff are on, which account they signed in with, and what you have told them they may put in it — not on the product itself. On Standard and on Plus, Canopy says it trains its models on your Canopy data only when somebody turns the setting on. Every fact on this page is Canopy's own, quoted from its own pages and dated, and where we did not find a statement this page says so rather than filling the gap. Obsidian Ridge's free 30-day AI security assessment shows which AI tools your staff actually use.
See which AI tools your staff usePlan by plan, in Canopy’s own words
Canopy's AI features assist accounting teams inside the practice-management product, including the Coworker beta.
| What you are asking | Standard | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Trains the vendor's models by default | Training requires an explicit opt-in. Review that choice separately from merely enabling an AI feature.“Your data is never used for training unless you explicitly opt in.” source, read | Training requires an explicit opt-in. Review that choice separately from merely enabling an AI feature.“Your data is never used for training unless you explicitly opt in.” source, read |
| How to turn training off | Not found in the pages we read. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| How long data is kept | Inputs and outputs are stored as ordinary user-action data. This page does not give a deletion period.“Inputs and outputs are stored like any other user action data.” source, read | Inputs and outputs are stored as ordinary user-action data. This page does not give a deletion period.“Inputs and outputs are stored like any other user action data.” source, read |
| What an admin can see or control | Not found in the pages we read. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Single sign-on | Not found in the pages we read. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Business Associate Agreement | Not found in the pages we read. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Where the data is processed | Not found in the pages we read. | Not found in the pages we read. |
An empty cell is not a reassurance and not a criticism. "Not found in the pages we read." means the Canopy pages listed under Sources, read on the dates shown, do not answer it — so there is nothing for us to repeat, and something for you to ask Canopy before client information goes near it.
What this means for
The duty does not change because the tool is new. What changes is where the client information ends up.
- Law firms. A client confidence pasted into a personal account has left the firm’s control. Our law firm page sets out the duties we build evidence for; the decision here is whether a personal account may touch a client matter at all.
- Dental and medical practices. We didn't find a BAA statement in the pages listed below; ask Canopy before any patient data goes in. See dental practices.
- CPA and accounting firms. Your written information security plan has to describe the tools people actually use, not the ones you approved. See accounting firms.
- Financial advisers. Client account data in a personal assistant is the exposure; see financial advisers.
- Software teams. A coding assistant reads the repository and can run commands, so the question is what it can reach, not what it was asked. See what AI agents on work laptops can reach.
How to tell which version your staff use
The plan is the whole answer, and you cannot tell from the outside. Three ways to find out, in order of how much they prove.
1. Ask
Quick, free, and incomplete. People forget the tool they installed once and the account they signed in with.
2. Look at the billing and the admin console
This finds what the business pays for. It does not find a personal account, which is the one that matters here.
3. Look on the computers
A tool somebody installed themselves never appears in an IT list. Obsidian Ridge’s free 30-day AI security assessment takes a quiet inventory for 30 days and shows what each tool could reach, then a CISSP goes through it with you. See the assessment, or read a sample set of findings.
Settings to check today
From Canopy’s own documentation. Each one is a change somebody can make this afternoon.
- Review the Coworker permission and its beta activation before enabling it for staff in Settings > Experimental Features.“Turn it on in Settings > Experimental Features > Canopy Coworker.” source, read
Worth knowing
- Canopy documents Coworker access on these subscriptions for users with the Coworker permission.“Available on the Standard, Plus and Premium plans” source, read
Questions we get asked
Is Canopy AI safe for client data?
Whether Canopy AI is safe for client data turns on which plan your staff are on, which account they signed in with, and what you have told them they may put in it — not on the product itself.
On Standard and on Plus, Canopy says it trains its models on your Canopy data only when somebody turns the setting on.
Every fact on this page is Canopy's own, quoted from its own pages and dated, and where we did not find a statement this page says so rather than filling the gap.
Does Canopy train its models on what we put into Canopy AI?
On Standard and on Plus, Canopy says it trains its models on your Canopy data only when somebody turns the setting on. On Standard and Plus: Training requires an explicit opt-in.
Review that choice separately from merely enabling an AI feature. Canopy's own words: "Your data is never used for training unless you explicitly opt in." (read 2026-11-05).
How long does Canopy keep what we put into Canopy AI?
On Standard and Plus: Inputs and outputs are stored as ordinary user-action data. This page does not give a deletion period. Canopy's own words: "Inputs and outputs are stored like any other user action data." (read 2026-11-05).
Can an administrator read what we put into Canopy AI?
On Standard and Plus: Not found in the pages we read.
Will Canopy sign a Business Associate Agreement for Canopy AI?
We didn't find a BAA statement in the pages listed below; ask Canopy before any patient data goes in.
How do we find out which version of Canopy AI our staff are using?
Canopy sells this to practices rather than to individuals, so there is no personal account to find.
What decides the answers above is which plan your practice is on and what your own administrator has switched on, both of which are in your subscription and your admin console rather than on anybody's laptop.
Obsidian Ridge's free 30-day AI security assessment covers the tools nobody approved, which is the other half of the picture.
Sources
Canopy’s own pages, with the date each was read. Nothing on this page comes from anywhere else.
- support.getcanopy.com/en/articles/11518456-how-is-canopy-ai-using-my-data, read
- support.getcanopy.com/en/articles/17907142-how-do-i-set-up-canopy-coworker-with-onboarding, read
All 47 tools, side by side, or run the AI tool risk checker over the ones you know about.
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