MYOB Now Connects to ChatGPT and Claude — What Your Business Should Check First
On 16 August MYOB announced that Australian small and medium businesses will be able to surface their financial data — customer balances, overdue invoices, and profit-and-loss figures — directly inside ChatGPT and Claude. It's a phased rollout through the app directories of both assistants, extending the in-product AI assistant MYOB already offers. Ask "which customers are 30+ days overdue?" and the answer comes straight from your MYOB file — no logging in and digging through reports.
The headline sounds like a data leak waiting to happen. In practice it isn't, provided you set it up deliberately. Here's what to know.
It's opt-in — nothing happens unless you connect it
No MYOB customer's data is being shared by default. The integration is a connector you add inside ChatGPT or Claude. Until you (or someone with access to your MYOB file) links the accounts, your data stays inside MYOB.
That's also the thing to watch: any staff member with MYOB access who can see your P&L can connect it to an AI assistant — so this belongs in the same bucket as any other third-party app connected to your accounting system.
The one decision that actually matters: which account you connect
This is where most of the risk lives:
- Personal ChatGPT accounts train on conversations by default. Unless training is switched off under Settings → Data Controls, anything the assistant reads from MYOB can be folded into OpenAI's training pipeline.
- Personal Claude accounts are opt-in for training — but a recent policy change added a "help improve Claude" toggle that's easy to leave on.
- Business and Enterprise accounts don't train on your data by default. Both OpenAI and Anthropic treat business data as contract-governed.
The practical rule is simple: connect MYOB to a business-tier AI account, never a personal one, and confirm training is switched off.
Two other things to keep in mind
- Where the data goes. Financial and payroll records — including employee details — are processed by US-based providers. For an accountant or bookkeeper connecting a client's MYOB file, that's third-party disclosure of other people's data, which carries obligations under the Privacy Act.
- Trust the numbers, not the phrasing. The figures come from your MYOB records, but the AI paraphrases them. Don't rely on an AI summary for BAS lodgements or compliance without checking the underlying report.
Before you connect, check four things
- Connect via a business or enterprise AI account — not personal.
- Confirm model training is switched off in the AI app's settings.
- Restrict who can add the connector to authorised staff only.
- If you're a bookkeeper or accountant, get client sign-off before piping their data anywhere.
Used deliberately, this is just a faster way to ask your accounting system a question. Used carelessly with a personal account, it's a way to quietly hand your financial data to a US AI provider.
If you're on MYOB and want this set up safely — or just want someone to check nothing's been connected without your knowledge — get in touch and we'll sort it.