Data Sharing Policy

The Vellum Assistant uses third-party AI providers to generate responses, transcribe and synthesize speech, search the web, and perform other AI-powered tasks. When you use these features, the relevant inputs are transmitted to the third-party provider that performs the task. This page explains exactly what is shared, with whom, and what safeguards are in place.

Inference (chat)

When you send a message in the Vellum Assistant, the content of your message, any files you attach, and the surrounding conversation context are sent to the AI provider that hosts the model you have selected:

  • Vellum's managed inference service routes your data to Anthropic (Claude family) using Vellum's credentials.
  • If you connect your own API key in your account settings, your data is sent to Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google (via Google Vertex AI) using your credentials and is governed by the terms of your relationship with that provider.

Image generation

When you generate images in the Vellum Assistant, the prompt you submit is sent to Google (via Google Vertex AI Imagen). In managed mode, this uses Vellum's credentials; if you connect your own Google API key, this uses your credentials and is governed by the terms of your relationship with Google.

Web search

When the assistant runs a web search on your behalf, your search query is sent to a search provider. In managed mode, the search is handled by the native search capability of your selected inference provider (no separate search vendor receives the query). If you connect your own API key for a dedicated search provider, the query is sent to Perplexity or Brave Search using your credentials.

Speech features (Bring Your Own Key only)

Voice input and output features are available only when you provide your own API key for the underlying provider. When you enable these features in your account settings, the relevant data is sent to the provider you have configured, using your credentials and under the terms of your account with that provider:

  • Text-to-speech: ElevenLabs, Deepgram, Fish Audio, or xAI receive the text you ask the assistant to read aloud.
  • Speech-to-text: OpenAI or Deepgram receive audio recordings you submit for transcription.

Vellum does not provide credentials for these speech providers; they only receive your data after you have explicitly configured them with your own API key.

What providers do not do

Under the published terms of Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google's commercial APIs, the inputs you submit and the responses generated for you are not used by these providers to train or improve their underlying models, and are not used by these providers for advertising.

Your consent

Before first use, Vellum obtains your explicit consent to share data with the AI provider. This consent is collected during onboarding via a dedicated checkbox — separate from the general Terms of Service acceptance — as required by Apple App Store Guideline 5.1.2(i).

You can review your consent status at any time in Settings > Privacy.

Provider privacy notices

Please review each provider's privacy notice to understand how they handle your data:

Further reading

  • Privacy Policy — broader data handling, retention, and your rights.
  • Privacy & Data — what stays local, what leaves your device, and what Vellum never does.