AI image generation privacy — what happens to your prompts, images, and training data

AI image generation has a privacy architecture that most users don't fully understand: many platforms make generated images publicly visible by default, and most platforms retain the right to use prompts and generated images for service improvement. The distinction between 'private generation' (images not shown in community galleries) and 'excluded from training' (prompts and images not used to train future models) is not the same thing — and most privacy-focused users conflate them.

Midjourney's privacy posture is the starkest example: Basic and Standard plan images are publicly visible in the community gallery by default. Stealth Mode (Pro $60/month or Mega $120/month) prevents community gallery visibility — but Midjourney's Terms of Service explicitly state that the service improvement license applies to all images including Stealth Mode generations. Private generation does not mean excluded from training.

Most users assume that paying for a premium plan means their images are private. It depends entirely on which platform and which plan. Midjourney Stealth Mode (Pro) makes images private from the community gallery but not from Midjourney's service improvement rights. Leonardo's Apprentice plan ($12/month) provides private generation as a plan feature. Ideogram's Basic plan ($7/month) provides private generation. NightCafe has no documented private generation option on any plan.

Most users assume that prompts are not stored or analyzed. All major AI image platforms log prompts for content moderation and service improvement purposes. The specific retention period and the scope of use for those logs varies by platform and is documented in privacy policies with varying levels of specificity. Users who include sensitive information in prompts — client names, confidential project descriptions, proprietary concepts — should be aware that this information enters the platform's logging infrastructure.

Most users assume that AI image generation on standard platforms is appropriate for confidential client creative work. For client creative where confidentiality is expected or contractually required, the standard plan public gallery default creates a problem. Client concepts visible in Midjourney's community gallery before client approval is a realistic consequence of using Basic or Standard plans for client work.

Private generation availability by platform and plan tier: Leonardo AI — Apprentice ($12/month) and above; images not shown in community gallery. Ideogram — Basic ($7/month) and above; private generation documented. Midjourney — Pro ($60/month) or Mega ($120/month) with Stealth Mode; private from community gallery but service improvement license still applies. NightCafe — no documented private generation option; community gallery default applies.

Training data use for AI image platforms is less transparently documented than for AI assistant providers. Midjourney's service improvement license for prompts and images is explicitly stated. Leonardo's training data policy for user-submitted content is not prominently disclosed. Ideogram's training data policy for image outputs is not explicitly disclosed in public-facing documentation. For production use involving proprietary visual concepts, direct inquiry with each platform's enterprise team about training data practices is appropriate.

For agencies and studios working on client creative where privacy matters: Leonardo AI's Apprentice plan at $12/month provides private generation with commercial rights at the lowest available price point. Ideogram's Basic plan at $7/month provides private generation with commercial rights for text-in-image work. Midjourney's Stealth Mode at Pro $60/month provides community gallery privacy for the highest-quality artistic work, with the training license caveat.

No AI image platform provides contractual training data exclusion for standard plans. Training data exclusion at a contractual level — the standard that enterprise AI assistant plans provide — is not documented for any standard image generation plan. For organizations with strict data governance requirements, direct enterprise-level inquiry with each platform is the starting point.

Privacy policies change. The training data use policies documented here reflect May 2026 terms. AI platform terms have changed multiple times as the industry has evolved. For ongoing production use where privacy matters, periodic review of current terms is appropriate rather than assuming documented policies remain stable.

US jurisdiction applies to all four platforms in this category. All are US-incorporated and subject to CLOUD Act, FISA Section 702, and NSL authority. GDPR compliance claims don't override US government access authority for data held by US companies. For organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements, this is a structural constraint of the category.