In this post, I will show you 5 types of data you should never share with AI.
Have you ever asked ChatGPT for a piece of advice? Or for a tasty sourdough bread recipe? Maybe you have asked it to write notes for you, or to explain your language test results.
The truth is, most people do that on an everyday basis; they ask AI for information, proofreading, correcting answers, solving tasks, and much more.
Artificial intelligence has become a normal part of our daily routines. It has amazing problem-solving skills, it knows almost all information about everything, and is very intelligent.
While these tools offer convenience, there are some things that we should never share with them: our sensitive data.
So now, you probably think: what can go wrong?
To help you understand the risks and stay safe, we’ll explain that.
Table of Contents
Let’s Make It Clear: What Do LLMs Do With Our Information?
Large Language models (LLMs) are very helpful digital co-workers. Most AI tools are publicly available, and they are cloud-hosted. Everything we type, upload, or paste is always processed on external servers.
Sometimes, this information can be logged, reviewed by human moderators, and used to improve future AI models. Once your data enters the system, it can be out of your control.
It is not a problem if you ask AI to help you with an essay, to solve a task, or to ask for a piece of advice. But you should never type your sensitive data like your card number, account balances, medical lists, treatment history, or any private information.
Among all of our data and information, sometimes it is difficult to know what exactly is our private information.
That’s why we’ll break it down for you.
1. Credit Card Statements and Financial Data
You should never share your financial data with anyone. It is the most sensitive information that you can expose, and one of the easiest to misuse.
A credit card statement contains full card numbers, expiration dates, CVV codes, account balance, billing address, and transaction history. That’s the reason why you should never upload it or screenshot anything for analysis, or type the real numbers to ask questions.
The thing is, if your financial data is submitted to a cloud-based AI model, you don’t know who might access it later. As we’ve explained earlier, this information is processed by servers and sometimes reviewed by humans.
Also, some companies can store logs for audit, or researchers may review anonymized snippets. And if your data isn’t anonymized, your credit card information can become vulnerable to fraud and unauthorized access.
If you still need a piece of advice about your finances from an AI model, remove any identifying details. Also, summarize your information before uploading it online, and remove your private information.
2. Medical Records
Our medical information is deeply personal. It is protected under laws and regulations in most countries in the world, and only authorized people can have access to it.
Our health record contains diagnosis, treatment history, allergies, medication lists, mental health details, and insurance info. And that’s why you should never share it with an AI tool – your privacy can be jeopardized.
Healthcare providers are bound by medical confidentiality rules. However, AI models are not, and your data can be retained on servers, accessed by moderators, and included in model training datasets.
In case this information leaks, it can affect your privacy, personal well-being, future employment opportunities, and insurance rates.
Of course, it’s possible to ask AI some general medical questions or information, without sharing your personal details. For example, an AI can make great exercise and meal plans for you.
3. Intellectual Property of The Company
Developers often turn to AI tools for code reviews, debugging, and documentation help. And while many people say that AI is useful for that kind of support, it’s important to know what is safe to upload.
For example, uploading company-owned private code, API keys, system architecture, trade secrets, product roadmaps, and confidential algorithms is very dangerous. If it’s uploaded, it can be misused by leaks or malicious actors, which can lead to intellectual property disputes, compliance violations, and data breaches.
Luckily, you can avoid this and still use the help of an AI. Most IT companies use local LLMs and on-premise tools. They run on a company’s infrastructure and servers, and are designed for secure coding assistance.
Additionally, other AI tools can guarantee complete privacy. These don’t require you to log in, upload, or post any private data.
The most popular are AI writing assistants, math and science solvers, image generators, and even AI sports betting tools. They operate on huge amounts of external data and generate insights from available public information. This allows users to more accurately predict future outcomes.
4. Business Plans, Strategy Documents, and Roadmaps
Behind every successful organization, there’s a plan. It includes future goals, financial projections, and various analyses, which are the most valuable assets.
A business plan may include sales forecasts, competitor insights, recruitment plans, customer research, negotiation, investments, and many more. Avoid uploading them to any external AI tool to prevent exposing the details.
Public AI platforms can’t guarantee complete confidentiality, and all the data must pass through servers, storage, and monitoring layers. That poses huge risks for competitors, who can gain access to sensitive strategy, financial estimates, and internal projects. If customer or partner data is included, it can lead to legal consequences.
If you need advice or a review of your business plan, summarize your question, but never write any info about the company, or upload the document in full. Your question should be generalized, without any personal or private details about the company.
5. Legal Agreements, Contracts, or Documents
Contracts contain the most confidential information a business can have, including pricing, client names, internal processes, personal data of the parties, and much more. You should never reveal this info to anyone – especially not to an AI model.
Your contract could be reviewed by human employees and remain on servers longer than expected. If customer data is involved, it could violate compliance standards, which can lead to lawsuits, fines, exposure of partnerships, and ruined business relationships.
Always remove sensitive details such as name, rates, and dates. And never upload contracts or legal documents to an AI model.
Summing Up: Use the AI Wisely
While AI tools can be helpful to make our lives easier, remember that they’re not private. They don’t handle regulated or sensitive data, and most of the companies use human moderators to prevent misuse or train the model.
If you research online about it, you’ll see that public AI systems don’t guarantee full privacy. For that reason, passwords, personal identifiers, company secrets, or confidential documents should never be posted or shared on them.
Despite these limitations, we can still enjoy using AI tools responsibly. Many of them don’t require an account and provide information based on public data and online research.
Be cautious with your personal details, and enjoy using AI tools to generate ideas and advice!
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About the Author:
Meet Angela Daniel, an esteemed cybersecurity expert and the Associate Editor at SecureBlitz. With a profound understanding of the digital security landscape, Angela is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge with readers. Her insightful articles delve into the intricacies of cybersecurity, offering a beacon of understanding in the ever-evolving realm of online safety.
Angela's expertise is grounded in a passion for staying at the forefront of emerging threats and protective measures. Her commitment to empowering individuals and organizations with the tools and insights to safeguard their digital presence is unwavering.
