Questions
Can lawyers put client information into ChatGPT?
Not without care. Canadian law societies tell lawyers not to input confidential or identifying client information unless the tool has adequate safeguards. Ontario says to redact identifying information and obtain informed consent when anonymizing cannot protect confidentiality. British Columbia prefers omitting identifying information, and Alberta says never to include it in prompts.
Key takeaway: The common default across Canadian guidance is to remove identifying client information before using the tool.
Last reviewed · 4 sources
Law Society of Ontario
“Where the generative AI system lacks appropriate confidentiality, security, and retention safeguards, do not input confidential, privileged, proprietary, or potentially identifying client information in the system.” The same resource tells licensees to “redact any identifying, sensitive, or confidential information” and, if anonymizing cannot adequately protect confidentiality or privilege, to explain the risks and obtain informed consent.
Law Society of British Columbia
“Ideally, client confidential information, including any information identifying the client, would be omitted from anything that was supplied to the generative AI tool to maintain client confidentiality.” If redacting is not possible, client consent must be “fully informed and voluntary.”
It also warns that tools may “reuse the confidential information you supply for other purposes over which you may have no control.”
Law Society of Alberta and the CBA
Alberta’s generative AI playbook: “Never include confidential or potentially identifying information in prompts,” adding that there is “no guarantee that they will keep your information confidential.”
The Canadian Bar Association’s toolkit cautions that “obtaining client consent to the use of generative AI is not a panacea to the risks associated with its use.”
Where PiBye fits
How PiBye handles this
PiBye puts the redaction step the law societies describe onto your Mac: it finds identifying details, you approve each replacement, and the AI receives only the reviewed copy, with names and numbers swapped for tokens it cannot reverse. The real names go back into the AI’s draft locally. It reduces what you disclose; the judgment on confidentiality and consent stays yours.
1.0.1 · macOS 14.8.5 or later · Apple Silicon · 1.1 GB
Frequently asked questions
Does using a business AI plan change the answer?
It can affect whether a tool has adequate safeguards, which Ontario’s guidance asks about. Identifying information still should not be shared without need.
Is this legal advice?
No. It summarizes public guidance. Read your law society’s current resources and apply them to your practice.
Sources
- Generative AI: Your professional obligations, Law Society of Ontario, April 10, 2024. Checked 17 September 2026.
- Guidance on Professional Responsibility and Generative AI, Law Society of British Columbia, October 2023. Checked 17 September 2026.
- The Generative AI Playbook, Law Society of Alberta, updated February 2026. Checked 17 September 2026.
- Ethics of Artificial Intelligence for the Legal Practitioner: guidelines relating to use, Canadian Bar Association. Checked 17 September 2026.