What You Should Never Share with an AI Tool

What you will learn

In this guide, you will learn what types of personal information you should never share with AI tools. AI assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are useful, but they are not private conversations. Understanding what to keep to yourself will help you stay safe.

Important: Treat AI like a helpful stranger in a public place. It can answer your questions and help with tasks, but it should not know your secrets.

What you need

• Basic understanding of AI chat tools (like ChatGPT)
• Common sense about personal privacy

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Never share passwords or login details

Do not type any passwords, PIN codes, or security questions into an AI chat. This includes:

• Your email password
• Your bank PIN
• Security question answers (like your mother’s maiden name)
• Two-factor authentication codes

AI tools do not need this information to help you, and sharing it puts your accounts at risk.

Step 2: Never share bank or financial details

Keep your financial information private. Do not share:

• Credit or debit card numbers
• Bank account numbers
• Tax identification numbers
• Investment account details

If you need help understanding a bank statement, describe the situation in general terms without including actual account numbers. For example, say “My bank charged me a fee I do not understand” instead of pasting your full statement.

Step 3: Never share identity documents

Do not type or paste information from your identity documents. This includes:

• Your full ID number (national ID, passport, social security number)
• Your driver’s license number
• Your date of birth combined with your full name and address

This information can be used for identity theft. AI tools do not need your real identity to help you.

Step 4: Never share private medical information

While you can ask AI general health questions, do not share:

• Your full medical history
• Lab results or test numbers
• Prescription details with your name
• Diagnosis letters from your doctor

Ask general questions instead. Instead of “My blood pressure reading was 180/110 and I take lisinopril, should I worry?” try “What does high blood pressure mean and when should someone see a doctor?”

Step 5: Never share intimate photos or private messages

Do not paste or describe:

• Private or intimate photographs
• Personal messages from other people without their permission
• Private family matters with identifying details
• Confidential work documents

Remember that AI companies may store conversations and use them for training. Anything you share could potentially be seen by engineers or appear in future AI responses.

Tips

• When in doubt, leave it out. If you are not sure whether something is too personal, it probably is. Keep it general.
• Use fake examples. If you need help formatting a document with personal data, use made-up names and numbers instead of real ones.
• Check privacy settings. Some AI tools let you opt out of data storage. Look for settings like “Chat history” or “Data controls” in the AI tool’s settings menu.
• Delete old conversations. If you accidentally shared something private, delete the conversation. Most AI tools let you remove individual chats from your history.