Using AI Safely: Privacy, Company Data and Honest Use

AI is only useful at work if it does not get you, your customers or your company into trouble. The rules in this lesson take five minutes to learn and will protect you for as long as you use AI.

Why it matters

When you type into a public AI tool, your text is sent to the company that runs it. Depending on the tool and your settings, it may be stored and may be reviewed or used to improve their models.

Company and business versions of these tools usually come with stronger data protection. That is one reason to use the tool your company approves.

Never paste these into a public AI tool

• Passwords, OTPs, PINs and any login details
• Government ID numbers such as Aadhaar, PAN or passport numbers
• Bank details: account numbers, card numbers, UPI IDs of customers
• Customers' personal data: names together with phone numbers, addresses, health or financial details
• Salary, appraisal or HR information about real people
• Unpublished financial results, prices, bids or contracts
• Source code or internal documents your company has not cleared for AI use

Simple test: would you be comfortable if this text were printed in a newspaper with your company's name on it? If not, do not paste it.

How to still get help: anonymise first

You can usually get the same help without the private details. Replace them with placeholders before you paste:

For example:

I need to reply to a client (call them Client A) who is unhappy that their
delivery was late by 5 days. They are a long-term customer. Write a polite
apology email that offers a 5% discount on the next order.

The AI does not need the real name to write a good email. You add it back before sending.

Follow your company's rules

• Find out whether your company has an AI policy, and read it.
• Use approved tools only for company work.
• If you are not sure whether something is allowed, ask before pasting, not after.

Using AI honestly

• You are the author. You are responsible for everything you send, whoever drafted it.
• Do not present AI work as expert advice that you have not checked. This matters most for legal, tax, medical and financial topics.
• Be open when it matters. If your manager, teacher or client expects to know whether AI was used, tell them.
• Respect copyright. Do not ask AI to copy someone else's article, book or design, and do not publish AI text that closely copies an existing work.
• Watch for bias. AI can repeat unfair stereotypes from its training data. Read answers about people, hiring or customers with extra care.

Practice task

Take one real task where you would have liked AI help but were worried about privacy. Rewrite the prompt with all personal and company details replaced by placeholders, as in the example above.

Check: could anyone outside your company identify a real person or business from what you wrote? If not, it is safe to send.

Key takeaways

• Text you paste into a public AI tool leaves your control.
• Never paste passwords, ID numbers, bank details, customer data or confidential business information.
• Anonymise with placeholders such as Client A and Customer B. You usually lose nothing.
• Follow your company's AI policy, use approved tools and stay responsible for the final result.