AI Use & Data Processing Policy
Plain-English summary
MyGrowCommunity uses AI to help you write better listings, moderate community posts, generate pickup messages, and answer gardening questions. When you use these features, some of the text you type is sent to third-party AI providers so they can generate a response. This page tells you exactly which providers, what data goes to them, and how to opt out.
Where AI shows up on this site
| Feature | What it does | Data sent to AI |
|---|---|---|
| Grow Assistant (`/assistant`) | Answers gardening / homesteading questions | Your question text |
| Listing helper (in `/listings/new`) | Generates description drafts + score feedback | Listing title, category, description you're writing |
| Pickup message generator | Drafts pickup coordination messages | Buyer name (first name only), listing title, pickup time |
| Content moderation | Screens posts / listings / messages for policy violations | The text being posted |
| Semantic search & smart matching | Ranks listings by relevance | Your search query |
Third-party AI providers we send data to
We list every provider we send AI-inference requests to. If we add another, this policy is updated within 30 days.
- NVIDIA — used for embeddings and some inference. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/privacy/ · Data retention: per NVIDIA's terms, inputs are not retained for model training when accessed via their inference API.
- Groq — used as backup / fallback for chat-style features. https://groq.com/privacy-policy/ · Data retention: Groq does not retain API inputs for training.
- Self-hosted model — when the operator has configured a local inference server, those requests never leave infrastructure we control and no third party receives them.
Your consent is required first. AI features are switched off until you explicitly allow them in the Privacy Choices notice shown on your first visit (reopen it any time from the footer). If you have not allowed AI features, these endpoints refuse the request and nothing is transmitted to any provider. Every other part of the Platform — browsing, listing, messaging, trading, donating — works without AI.
We do not send any of the following to AI providers:
- Passwords or authentication tokens
- Payment information or card details
- Physical addresses or ZIP codes beyond what appears in a listing
- Private messages between users (unless you're using the AI-assisted-reply feature, in which case only the current draft is sent)
- Personal data of users other than yourself
- Anything you post to a private group
Your rights
- Opt out of AI processing — AI is off by default and only runs if you opt in. Turn it back off any time via Privacy Choices in the site footer (applies to signed-out visitors too), or from `/profile/privacy` if you have an account. Basic features (browsing, listings, messages) work without any AI.
- Access what we processed — the [Data Export](/profile/data-export) endpoint returns everything we've stored, including AI query logs.
- Deletion — the [Account Deletion](/profile/delete-account) flow removes your AI query history along with the rest of your data.
- Object to automated moderation decisions — if the AI moderation system flags content of yours in error, contact [moderation@mygrowcommunity.com](mailto:moderation@mygrowcommunity.com) for human review within 5 business days.
What we do NOT use AI for
To be explicit — AI does not make final decisions on:
- Account suspension or ban (human moderator decision)
- Payment or refund approvals (rule-based, not AI)
- Tier assignment or verification status (human review)
- Legal disputes or law-enforcement responses
Content generated by AI
Any AI-generated content on the site (Grow Assistant answers, listing helper drafts, pickup message drafts) is:
- Not a substitute for professional advice — see our [Food Safety Disclaimer](/legal/food-safety) and general Terms
- Not guaranteed to be accurate — you're responsible for reviewing anything you post based on an AI suggestion
- Yours to edit or discard — the AI proposes; you decide
Data sent for moderation
Text you post publicly is screened through automated moderation before being visible to others. This screening includes an AI classification pass. Only the content itself is sent — no identifiers about you, no other users' data. Content that passes is not stored by the AI provider; content that is flagged is reviewed by a human moderator.
Changes to this policy
We'll notify you via email if we add a new AI provider, add a new feature that uses AI, or change the categories of data we send. Non-material changes (typo fixes, clarifications) are logged in the version history.
Contact
- Data protection — [privacy@mygrowcommunity.com](mailto:privacy@mygrowcommunity.com)
- AI-specific concerns — [privacy@mygrowcommunity.com](mailto:privacy@mygrowcommunity.com) (use subject "AI")
_Policy last reviewed: September 8, 2026_