Z.ai Chat (GLM)

Is Z.ai Chat (GLM) safe?

For corporate use, not without formal approval: Tangerin AI places Z.ai Chat (GLM) in the critical exposure band. Language model of Chinese origin. Input data may be transmitted to servers under foreign jurisdiction and potentially accessed by local authorities.

Facts

Domain

chat.z.ai

Category

Language models

Data exposure

Critical exposureMeasures the data exposure of using the tool, not the vendor's reputation.

Home country

China

Does the free version train on your data?

Yes. On the free version, what you submit may be used to train AI models. (source)

Home country is the headquarters of the company behind the tool. It is not a claim about where data is processed or stored: data residency depends on the plan you hold and must be confirmed with the vendor.

Why Z.ai Chat (GLM) has critical exposure

Language model of Chinese origin. Input data may be transmitted to servers under foreign jurisdiction and potentially accessed by local authorities.

What to do about it

Treat as blocked by default. Tools in this band combine the capacity to cause harm (identity fraud, autonomous exfiltration, biometric data) with little or no contractual guarantee. If there is a legitimate use, it needs named approval, a documented impact assessment and periodic review, not an informal exception.

Here is the distinction almost every company gets wrong in its first audit: almost no framework (NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, the EU AI Act) requires you to block AI tools; the exception is the EU AI Act's prohibited practices, such as inferring employees' emotions. What all of them require is that you know what is in use and have made a conscious, recorded decision about each item. A high-exposure tool approved under a written policy is compliance; a low-exposure tool in use with nobody aware of it is an audit finding.