GDPR Compliance for AI Chatbots: What You Need to Know

Why GDPR Matters for AI Chatbots

If your AI chatbot interacts with EU residents, GDPR applies to every conversation. Non-compliance can result in fines up to €20 million or 4% of annual global revenue.

Key GDPR Requirements

1. Lawful Basis for Processing

You need consent (for marketing) or legitimate interest (for support) as your lawful basis.

2. Transparency and Disclosure

Users must know they're chatting with AI, how data is used, and how to request deletion.

3. Data Retention Limits

Data Type	Recommended Retention
Conversation transcripts	12-24 months
Lead form data	Until consent withdrawn
Analytics (anonymized)	Unlimited

Compliance Checklist

• Privacy policy linked in chatbot interface
• AI disclosure (users know it's AI)
• Cookie consent for tracking
• Data Processing Agreement with vendor
• Data retention policy configured
• Right-to-deletion process documented
• EU data residency confirmed

How Conviro Handles GDPR

EU-hosted infrastructure (Hetzner, Germany), AES-256 encryption, no training on customer data, built-in retention controls, and DPA available for all customers.