Key Takeaways
- Avoid sharing personal identification details like your Social Security number, address, or date of birth with AI chatbots.
- Keep sensitive medical history and financial information, such as bank account numbers, private.
- Do not input confidential work data or company secrets into AI tools.
- Never share login credentials or passwords with chatbots.
- Chatbot memory can be a privacy risk, as security breaches are possible.
Many of us are getting comfortable chatting with AI like ChatGPT, sharing details about our lives to get answers or advice.
While it feels helpful, it’s important to remember what you shouldn’t share. AI chatbots often remember past conversations to improve their responses, but this memory can also pose a risk.
Although chatbot companies aim to keep data confidential, mistakes and security breaches have happened. This means sensitive information could potentially be exposed.
Experts advise keeping certain information to yourself when interacting with these tools. According to a report from Men’s Journal, this includes anything that could identify you personally.
Think twice before sharing details like your Social Security number, driver’s license info, passport numbers, specific dates of birth, home addresses, or phone numbers.
Your private health information is also best kept out of chatbot conversations. Unlike doctors, AI isn’t bound by strict privacy laws, so your medical details might not be secure.
Financial data is another no-go area. Avoid sharing bank account numbers, routing numbers, or investment specifics, even if AI tools offer financial management features.
If you use AI for work, be careful not to paste in sensitive company information, client data, or trade secrets when asking for help with tasks like writing emails or code.
Finally, never give chatbots your login details for other services. While AI can perform more tasks now, handing over passwords puts your accounts at risk.
To further protect your privacy, consider deleting your chat history regularly and exploring more anonymous chatbot options when possible.
