1. Share less than you think you need
Use placeholders such as [colleague] or [city]. Do not paste passwords, one-time codes, payment information, identity documents or private information about other people. At work, follow your organisation’s rules before sharing any material.
2. Treat the answer as a draft
AI can make up facts, quotations and references. Open the original source. For dates, prices, rules and schedules, check the current official page rather than an old summary.
3. Keep high-stakes decisions with the right people
Use AI to organise questions, not as a substitute for qualified medical, legal or financial advice. For urgent situations, contact the appropriate local service directly.
4. Read permission requests slowly
Know what an assistant can read and change before connecting it. Do not install an extension or provide account access just because an AI answer or an unfamiliar webpage tells you to.
5. Understand the tool’s privacy settings
Settings and retention differ between providers, account types and workspaces. A privacy control is not a guarantee that sensitive information is safe to share.
For ChatGPT, OpenAI documents controls for model improvement and other data settings. Temporary chats have their own retention and personalisation rules. Read the current guidance rather than assuming “temporary” means immediately deleted.
Official sources checked 31 October 2026. Interfaces, eligibility and policies can change.