10 Things You Should Never Give an AI Tool

Artificial intelligence can be incredibly useful.

You can ask it questions, have it help with writing, organize information, brainstorm ideas, summarize documents, and do many other things.

But there's an important question that doesn't get enough attention:

What should you NOT give an AI tool?

The answer isn't "don't use AI."

It's:

Use AI wisely, and think before you share information.

Different AI services have different privacy policies, settings, data-retention practices, and security arrangements. So before putting sensitive information into any AI system, understand how that particular service handles your data.

Here are ten categories of information you should be especially careful about.

1. Passwords

This one should be obvious, but it's worth saying.

Never give an AI tool your passwords.

Not your email password.

Not your banking password.

Not your social-media password.

Not your password-manager master password.

If you're having trouble with a website login, ask the AI to explain how to solve the problem—but don't give it your actual password.

A password is meant to be secret.

Keep it that way.

2. Credit Card Numbers

You shouldn't paste your full credit-card number into a chatbot just because you're asking it to help with something related to a purchase.

You don't need to provide sensitive payment information to get general advice.

If you need help understanding a bill, you can often remove the account number, card number, address, and other identifying information first.

Give the AI the problem—not the secret information.

3. Bank Account Information

The same principle applies to bank accounts.

Don't paste:

  • Full account numbers

  • Online banking credentials

  • Security codes

  • PINs

  • Complete financial statements containing sensitive information

If you're asking a general financial question, you can usually describe the situation without revealing information that could identify or compromise your account.

4. Social Security Numbers and Government ID Numbers

Your Social Security number and other government identification numbers are highly sensitive.

There is almost never a good reason to paste them into a general-purpose AI chatbot.

The same applies to passport numbers, driver's-license numbers, tax identification numbers, and similar identifiers.

If an example requires an identification number, use something fictional.

5. Private Medical Information

AI can be useful for learning about health topics, preparing questions for a doctor, or understanding medical terminology.

But be careful about uploading highly personal medical records or other sensitive health information.

If you want help understanding a document, consider removing identifying information first.

For example, you might remove:

  • Your name

  • Address

  • Phone number

  • Patient number

  • Insurance information

  • Other identifying details

Then ask your question using the remaining information.

And remember:

AI information is not a substitute for a qualified medical professional.

6. Confidential Business Information

If you work for a company, be careful about putting confidential company information into an AI service.

That might include:

  • Trade secrets

  • Customer lists

  • Unreleased products

  • Internal financial information

  • Private contracts

  • Proprietary software

  • Confidential business plans

Before using AI with workplace information, understand your employer's policies and the AI service's privacy and security practices.

If you're unsure, don't upload it.

7. Other People's Personal Information

Your information isn't the only information you need to protect.

Be careful about uploading someone else's:

  • Phone number

  • Address

  • Financial information

  • Medical information

  • Private correspondence

  • Identification documents

  • Personal records

Just because you have access to information doesn't necessarily mean you should give it to an AI system.

Respect other people's privacy too.

8. Private Legal Documents

AI can help explain general legal concepts or help you organize questions for an attorney.

But be cautious about uploading sensitive legal documents.

That could include:

  • Contracts

  • Court documents

  • Settlement information

  • Legal correspondence

  • Confidential agreements

  • Documents containing personal information

If you need help understanding a document, consider removing identifying and confidential information first.

For important legal decisions, consult an appropriate qualified professional.

9. Security Codes and Authentication Information

Never give an AI your:

  • Two-factor authentication codes

  • Recovery codes

  • Security questions and answers

  • Authentication tokens

  • Private encryption keys

These are designed to protect your accounts.

An AI doesn't need them to explain how two-factor authentication works.

If someone—or something—asks you to provide a security code, stop and think carefully about why.

10. Information You Wouldn't Want Made Public

Here's the simplest test of all:

If you would be uncomfortable seeing the information posted publicly, don't casually put it into an AI system.

That doesn't mean every AI service will make your information public.

It means that you should understand that online services involve data handling, storage, security, and privacy considerations.

Before using an AI tool, look at its privacy settings and policies.

Don't assume every service works the same way.

What CAN You Give AI?

This article isn't meant to scare you away from AI.

Quite the opposite.

AI can be extremely useful when you use it intelligently.

You can give an AI:

  • General questions

  • Ideas

  • Fictional examples

  • Public information

  • Non-sensitive writing

  • Brainstorming problems

  • General research questions

  • Requests for explanations

  • Projects that don't contain confidential information

For example, instead of saying:

"Here is my actual bank statement. Tell me what I should do."

You might say:

"Imagine someone has these general expenses and income. How could they create a budget?"

You get useful information without exposing your actual financial records.

That's a much safer approach.

Remove Information Before You Upload

Here's another useful habit.

Before uploading a document, ask:

Does the AI really need this information?

If not, remove it.

For example, if you're asking for help editing a letter, you may not need to include the person's:

  • Address

  • Phone number

  • Email

  • Account number

  • Identification number

Replace those details with:

[NAME]

[ADDRESS]

[ACCOUNT NUMBER]

The AI can still help with the writing.

You've simply reduced the amount of sensitive information being shared.

Be Careful With Screenshots Too

People sometimes forget that screenshots can contain sensitive information.

A screenshot of an account page might show:

  • Your name

  • Email address

  • Account number

  • Order number

  • Address

  • Notifications

  • Private messages

Before uploading a screenshot to an AI service, take a moment to look around the entire image.

You may notice information you didn't realize was there.

AI Is a Tool, Not a Vault

One way to think about this is:

Don't use an AI chatbot as your personal storage locker.

If something is extremely sensitive, ask yourself whether an AI system needs to see it at all.

Sometimes the safest information to share is information that has already been stripped of identifying details.

The HH Rule

Here's the rule we'd like to use at HH:

Share the problem. Protect the secret.

AI doesn't need your password to explain how to reset a password.

It doesn't need your credit-card number to explain how credit cards work.

It doesn't need your Social Security number to explain a tax concept.

It doesn't need your private medical record to explain a general medical term.

And it doesn't need someone else's personal information to help you solve a general problem.

Before You Hit Send

Take five seconds.

Ask yourself:

Would I be comfortable if this information ended up somewhere I didn't expect?

If the answer is no, stop.

Remove the sensitive information or find another way to accomplish the task.

That five-second pause could be one of the most useful AI habits you develop.

And that's the kind of thing we're going to keep exploring here at HH.

Find something interesting. Learn something useful. Come back for more.