Be alert while using AI
Artificial intelligence has become a reality in our everyday lives and is no longer just science fiction. Our preferred digital helpers are increasingly sophisticated chatbots, such as Grok and Perplexity AI and ChatGPT-5. They compose emails, answer questions, condense reports, and even offer relationship guidance. They have begun to take the place of personal advisors, therapists, and physicians for some people.
Although conversing with an AI could seem as informal as texting a friend, there are unspoken dangers involved. Your discussions with AI are recorded, examined, and occasionally even used to train new models, in contrast to human conversations. There are major privacy issues here.
Therefore, before you give your favorite chatbot your whole heart, consider these:
AI assistants can aid with anything from writing code to coming up with ideas. However, there are some information you should not share with them, just like with any tool. Even if AI models are made with privacy and security in mind, it’s best to exercise caution. Five things you should never say to an AI assistant are as follows:
Sensitive and Private Information
Even if AI assistants can’t remember conversations, you shouldn’t give up all of your personal information. Don’t give sensitive information like:
- Phone number or home address
- Details about a bank account or credit card
- Passport numbers or Social Security numbers
- Passwords or login information
- Never divulge specifics if you need assistance with something involving sensitive data; instead, be broad.
Financial information
Never enter government identification numbers, such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, or credit card information into a chatbot. Data leaks can and do occur, despite AI systems’ assurances of security. For such sensitive information, only use approved banking apps or platforms.
- Proprietary business strategies or trade secrets
- Plans for the future or internal financial reports
- Personal data of a client or employee
- Instead, avoid disclosing private information by using generic language or asking an AI assistant for industry best practices.
Requests that are unethical or illegal
AI assistants are designed to turn down requests that are dangerous or immoral. Do not request:
Hacking methods or strategies for getting around security measures
Techniques for forging documents or cheating on tests
Suggestions regarding unlawful activity
An AI assistant will not only decline to respond, but acting in such a way may have real-world repercussions.
Confessions or secrets
During lonely late-night hours, many users “vent” to AI. However, keep in mind that AI is not a therapist. In contrast to a human counselor who is subject to confidentiality, your confessions might be recorded or utilized again for training. It’s important to keep personal secrets between you and those you can trust.
Content that is Explicit or Inappropriate
Although chatbots typically filter out harmful or pornographic content, your input is still visible. Such data may still be stored in system logs. This might result in account suspension, but it might also reappear later in surprising ways.
Confidential information pertaining to work
In order to create reports or summaries, employees frequently copy private documents into AI systems. This is a serious error. Sensitive reports, trade secrets, or business strategies run the danger of seeping into training datasets and hurting your business. Employees are now expressly prohibited from doing this by several organizations.
