Industry · 2026-09-26
OpenAI's \"Project Lily\": what it means if you use ChatGPT for business
Hundreds of real contractors are reading actual ChatGPT conversations to improve the model. Here's what that actually means if you use it for drafting, ideas, or client work.
If you use ChatGPT for anything in your business — drafting emails, writing social posts, working through a client problem — this one actually matters.
What's been reported
It's been reported that OpenAI has hundreds of real contractors reading actual ChatGPT conversations, as part of a project reportedly called "Project Lily," scoring and rating real responses to improve the model. There is automated filtering meant to strip out personal details first, but reporting on it says that filter can miss things, especially anything unusual or specific to your situation.
What it actually means for your business
Treat it the way you'd treat any third-party tool handling client information. Don't paste in anything you wouldn't want a stranger reading — real client names, specific financial figures, anything genuinely private. Use it for the drafting, the ideas, the first pass. Keep the actually sensitive detail out of the box.
This isn't a reason to stop using AI for your business. It's a reason to use it the way you'd use any tool that isn't fully private — useful, but not somewhere you'd paste something you couldn't say out loud in a waiting room.
Want a hand setting up AI tools properly for your business? Get in touch on the AI automation page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Project Lily?
A reported internal OpenAI project where hundreds of real contractors read actual ChatGPT conversations, scoring and rating responses to improve the model's tone and behaviour.
Does this mean my private information is exposed?
OpenAI runs automated filtering meant to strip out personal details first, but reporting on it says that filter can miss things, especially anything unusual or specific to your situation — so treat it like any third-party tool handling information, not a fully private one.
Should I stop using ChatGPT for my business because of this?
No. Use it for drafting, ideas, and the first pass on things, and keep genuinely sensitive detail — real client names, specific financial figures, private information — out of it. Same rule as any tool that isn't fully private.
Topics: AI & Automation, Small Business
By Lee Day · leeday.uk · UK-wide support