In short: Yes – almost every AI writing assistant that runs in the browser stores your documents on its servers, because that is how your work is saved and synced. That alone isn't the risk. What matters is where the data is stored, which AI providers receive your text to generate answers, whether your text may be used to train AI models, how long it is kept and whether you can export and delete it. Hermes 3000 stores manuscripts on servers in Germany, sends text to AI providers only to answer your requests, excludes training contractually with every provider, and deletes everything – backups included – within 30 days after you delete your account.
A manuscript is often years of work, and sometimes deeply personal. So before you paste chapters into any AI tool, it is worth knowing what happens to them. Here are the five questions we would ask of any writing assistant – including our own.
1. Where are my documents stored?
A cloud writing tool keeps your text on its servers so you can open it on another device and don't lose it when the browser closes. Look for the hosting provider and the location in the privacy policy. Inside the EU, the GDPR applies, including your rights to access, export and erasure.
Hermes 3000: our servers are hosted by Hetzner in Germany. The vector database used for semantic search is located in the Netherlands. Data is backed up hourly on our own systems, and once a day an encrypted backup is transferred to Amazon S3.
2. Who else receives my text?
This is the question people forget. An “AI writing assistant” is usually an app on top of one or more large language models run by other companies. To give you feedback on a chapter, the tool sends that chapter – or the relevant part of it – to the model provider.
So check the list of AI providers and whether the tool has data processing agreements with them.
Hermes 3000: we work with Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, Google (Gemini), xAI (Grok) and Mistral AI for text features, with OpenRouter for fallback models when a safety filter blocks a permissible text, and Pangram Labs only when you run an AI-detection check on a chapter. We have data processing agreements with all of them. To be transparent: your text is sent to them unaltered – we do not automatically mask names or personal data before sending. If your book contains personal data about real people, keep that in mind.
3. Will my text be used to train AI models?
For many consumer chat apps, this is a setting you can switch off – check the data controls in your account. For tools built on these models via their business APIs, the answer depends on the contract between the tool and the provider.
Hermes 3000: none of our AI providers is permitted to use data processed through Hermes 3000 to train their own models. This is contractually excluded. We don't use your manuscripts to train models either.
4. How long is it kept – and how do I delete it?
Look for a concrete retention period, and for what happens to backups. “We delete your data” means little if copies live on in backups indefinitely.
Hermes 3000: you can delete individual content at any time. When you delete your account, all data – manuscripts, texts and backups – is irreversibly deleted within 30 days.
5. Can I take my work with me?
Your book shouldn't be locked into a tool. Check whether you can export in open formats.
Hermes 3000: you can export your book as DOCX, EPUB and PDF – including print-ready PDFs for Amazon KDP and other printers – at any time.
A quick checklist
| Question | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Where is it stored? | A named hosting provider and location |
| Who receives my text? | A list of AI providers, with data processing agreements |
| Training? | Excluded – by contract, not just by default |
| Retention | A concrete period, backups included |
| Export | Open formats, any time |
Frequently asked questions
Does an AI writing assistant store my documents?
Almost always, yes – cloud tools store your text so your work is saved and synced. The important questions are where it is stored, who else receives it, whether it is used for training, and how you can delete it.
Does Hermes 3000 use my book to train AI?
No. Training is contractually excluded with all AI providers we use, and we don't train models on your manuscripts ourselves.
Is my text sent to OpenAI or Google?
When you use an AI feature, the relevant text is sent to the AI provider that answers the request – Hermes 3000 works with several, listed in our privacy policy. It is sent unaltered and under a data processing agreement; training on it is excluded.
Where are Hermes 3000's servers?
In Germany (Hetzner). The vector database for semantic search is in the Netherlands; encrypted daily backups are stored on Amazon S3.
What happens to my data if I delete my account?
Everything, including backups, is irreversibly deleted within 30 days.
The full details are in our privacy policy. Questions about your data: datenschutz@hybridai.one.
Try it out
Write your book with AI help, in a tool that tells you plainly what happens to your text. Start for free with Hermes 3000 – the first 50 standard pages are free.