Share with your family and friends!

Robot or humanoid index finger touching with human index finger

AI is coming. It’s actually here already. With the increasing usage of various artificial intelligence systems, including popular chatbots like ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and others, we knew it was time to address this important subject. In this post, we are going to share the top types of data or information you should never share with or provide to artificial intelligence (AI).

Remember, the data you provide to an AI system goes towards both teaching the system AND being available to others using the system.

Here are some types of data or information you should never share with AI:

Personal Information (PI (or PII)) – Never share the following or similar:

Your full name
Phone number
Home address
Date of birth
Social Security number
Driver’s license number or details
Passport number or details

Health or medical information – It may sacrifice your HIPAA rights and you’re potentially waiving any rights that you have with respect to medical privacy.

Your current or future location – You do not want others to know where you are or where you will not be. If the bad guys know you are not home, for example, that may be their invitation. And either way, as a reminder, always wait until you are back home again before sharing photos or details from any travel or vacation.

Photos of yourself or your children – You should keep these sorts of photos off the internet regardless. There are lots of folks that love those pictures. With AI, those same pictures can be manipulated and used to work against you or your children. Stop sharing them! And never sharing any compromising photos of oneself should go without saying.

Financial or money details – Do not provide your actual financials. If you are looking for guidance, use fake numbers that may still help you understand the direction AI systems might be able to provide to you. Only provide numbers and details you can then extrapolate to fit your particular scenarios.

Login credentials – Never share any user names/IDs and/or passwords. Never provide real user IDs or passwords to AI systems. Again, these systems are not your confidant nor is the information you provide to them secure. In fact, it will more than likely be available to others using the system.

Intellectual property – Keep secrets to yourself. If you share them with AI systems, they may likely become available to anyone else using the AI system. Don’t care? Then, by all means, share away. Know that if they get shared they are likely compromised.

Finance, bank or investment accounts, etc. – Again, keep your personal information to yourself, as otherwise it becomes available to anyone else using the same system. Account information and details are no exception.

IDs or CCs, etc. – Never share or post photos of credentials or their details, such as driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, credit cards, etc. to any AI system. Nor should you provide any real data from these items in any capacity. Why would you expedite your exposure, making it easier for those with mal-intent?

Company (employer) information – Never share your company’s or employer’s information. You company or employer may have policies in place where company information has been classified whereby some may be OK to share while other information, like financial or trade, is not OK. Be sure to follow your company’s or employer’s policies at all times.

Can you think of other types of data or information that you probably should not share or provide to any artificial intelligence system? I bet you can.

Do not post or provide any of your personal details or information to any artificial intelligence platform or bot.
Don’t share photos of family or friends, especially of children to AI. The consequences can be severe, including using likenesses to scam or manipulate.
Don’t confide in AI like a real friend or counselor. AI is not a sentient being. It is just working hard to come across to you as if it were; and it may guide you wrong as it does so.
Critically think through and research any information provided to you by AI in order to confirm or refute any answers or information provided by an AI system. Artificial intelligence can have hallucinations; and they are common. These systems can present false or fake information as though it was real. Do not accept everything presented by AI as truth or fact.
In addition to yourself, educate family members on what to avoid, including aging parents, as they are more likely not to be as up-to-speed as you may be on these important issues.
If you happen to be scammed, report incidents to the FTC and then work to freeze credit and debit cards, credit accounts, and inform your banking institutions.
Employ tools, such as VPNs and password managers, to further ensure security measures for yourself.
Stay on top of the latest scams and ways to avoid them.

Ultimately, it is our responsibility to protect ourselves.

Conclusion

The short? Don’t share any personal or proprietary information with any artificial intelligence system. AI is not your buddy nor should it be viewed as a trusted confidant. It’s not your friend; and there is no guaranteed way to ensure your data going to be protected and safe when sharing it with AI. Therefore, don’t!

Take advantage of what AI systems have to offer but be smart in how you go about it. Don’t compromise your safety, security, or privacy in doing so.

Be smart and stay safe out there.