2.10 AI Consent and Data Policies¶
nikolAI needs information about your data model – and sometimes your data – to answer well. You decide how much it may use, within the limits your organization sets.
What nikolAI Sends¶
| Information | When |
|---|---|
| Names and descriptions of dimensions, metrics and transformations | Always |
| The visual and filters you're working with, including the generated SQL and run statistics | Always |
| The definitions of the selected visual: column titles and formulas, transformations, column filters and conditional formatting (build 20092 and later) | With Explain data and troubleshooting |
| Example values of dimensions, e.g. customer names | When Allow sample values is ticked |
| Data rows, e.g. figures behind a chart | When nikolAI needs them to explain something, and data analysis is allowed (below) |
Requests go to the Acinta AI service, which uses an external AI provider.
The Consent Dialog¶
The first time you send nikolAI a request in a session, it asks what it may use:
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Allow sample values (recommended) | nikolAI may read values of dimensions to understand your data model – on by default |
| Data analysis consent: Always allow / Ask me each time / Never allow | Whether nikolAI may retrieve data rows to analyze and troubleshoot |
Click Start chatting to continue.
[!NOTE] In the current version, Ask me each time doesn't ask yet – data rows are sent as with Always allow. Choose Never allow if data rows must not be sent. Right-click Explain data can also send data before the dialog has been shown.
Your choice applies until you close Datashop; the dialog appears again next time.
Your Organization's Policy¶
The project option AI sensitivity data policy (Modeller or Datashop Project options..., see 26.2) overrides your choice for data rows:
| Policy | Data rows |
|---|---|
| Never | Never sent, whatever you choose |
| Per Request (default) | Your choice in the consent dialog decides |
| Always | Sent when nikolAI needs them, even if you chose Never allow |
The policy covers data rows only: names, descriptions and filters are always part of a request, and sample values follow your consent choice.
The same policy also controls AI commentary in distributions – see 18.6 AI Commentary – and AI commentary boxes in workbooks (build 20147 and later). A box asks for consent with the same dialog; Always allow and Ask me each time let it send the report's data – see AI Commentary Boxes in 8.6 Text and Pictures.
Seeing What Was Sent¶
The ... menu in the nikolAI panel lets you inspect the communication with the AI service – exactly what was sent and what came back.
AI call history lists the last 20 calls of the session by your request (or Classify request / Generating suggestions) (new in build 20137). For each call: View shows time, intent, status, duration and the exchanged JSON; Copy, Copy interaction_id and Save to file.... Save all to file... saves all of them – useful when Acinta support asks for details of a call.
The Audit Log¶
If your organization keeps the audit log, every AI call is recorded, and for nikolAI chat also the question you typed. Administrators and anyone who can read the audit tables can see it – see AI Calls in 32.3 The Audit Log.