AI tools are useful because they can process large amounts of text quickly. That same strength creates risk when users paste information without first asking whether the tool should see it at all.
As a working rule, do not paste: - passwords, API keys, access tokens, or secrets - private customer or student records - medical information tied to identifiable people - confidential financial data - internal strategy documents, legal drafts, or proprietary source code
Before you paste anything, ask: Would it create harm if this exact text were accidentally exposed to the wrong person? If the answer is yes, do not paste it into a general-purpose AI assistant.
Different tools have different retention, training, and enterprise-control policies. But good habits should not depend on perfect memory of every vendor policy. Safe users minimize sensitive input by default.
Instead of pasting the original document, describe the problem abstractly. Ask the AI for a framework, template, rewrite pattern, or checklist you can apply yourself to the real material outside the chat.
AI tools are useful because they can process large amounts of text quickly. That same strength creates risk when users paste information without first asking whether the tool should see it at all.
As a working rule, do not paste: - passwords, API keys, access tokens, or secrets - private customer or student records - medical information tied to identifiable people - confidential financial data - internal strategy documents, legal drafts, or proprietary source code
Before you paste anything, ask: Would it create harm if this exact text were accidentally exposed to the wrong person? If the answer is yes, do not paste it into a general-purpose AI assistant.
Different tools have different retention, training, and enterprise-control policies. But good habits should not depend on perfect memory of every vendor policy. Safe users minimize sensitive input by default.
Instead of pasting the original document, describe the problem abstractly. Ask the AI for a framework, template, rewrite pattern, or checklist you can apply yourself to the real material outside the chat.