The Dos and Don’ts of Chatting with AI
In this new age of AI (artificial intelligence), it’s tempting to pour out all your questions—or even your stories—to a chatbot. But just because these tools are smart and designed to help with almost anything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful about what you type. So, to help keep you safe online, here are 10 things you should never say to a chatbot—and 10 that are perfectly okay.
1. Your Name & Address
You might think telling an AI your real name and even birthday can make a conversation more personable and unique to you, but you should never reveal personal identifiable information—your name, birthday, address, phone number, or email—to a chatbot. In cases of a security breach, this information could fall into the hands of cybercriminals, making it easy for them to exploit your data and use it against you.
2. Password or Login Credentials
Speaking of sensitive information, never share your passwords or login credentials with an AI. You might think it's an easy way of "storing" or jotting down your PINs, but again, in cases of a security breach, this leaked information allows hackers to gain easy access to your accounts. Save your passwords in a notepad.
3. Harmful Requests
If you request an AI chatbot to do something illegal or harmful, it will likely be filtered and blocked, as these types of prompts go against the policies and terms of service. Continue to push, and you might get your account banned, flagged, or reported to higher authorities.
4. Financial Information
Just as you shouldn't tell an AI bot any identifiable information, you should never share your financial details with it. Don't type out your credit card information, bank account numbers, transactions you've made, or even specific investment amounts. Remember, anything you say to a chatbot can be used against you, so be careful what you write.
5. Explicit Content
Explicit content, like harmful content, will likely get filtered or—if you continue pushing—flagged. Even then, it's still important to keep your conversations PG and avoid sharing, asking, or requesting anything that's highly graphic or inappropriate.
6. Company Information
Whether it's coding snippets, product prototypes, client information, or confidential meeting notes, anything that's related to your work or company should never be shared with a chatbot. It's important to keep in mind that this information may potentially get leaked and lead to unauthorized use.
7. Medical Details
An AI chatbot is not your doctor, so don't treat it like one. Even if you ask general health questions, don't dig too deep into your personal details to the point you reveal your own medical information. Your privacy is of utmost importance, so don't just go sharing it everywhere.
8. Questioning Someone Else's Personal Information
Just as you shouldn't share your personal information with a chatbot, don't ask it to dig into someone else's life. Without legal consent, requesting an AI to do this could land you in hot water, so don't ask it to disclose sensitive or private information.
9. Hate Speech
Like harmful content, hate speech will get filtered and flagged, so unless you want your account banned or reported, don't use offensive language with chatting with AI. Any requests that ask it to promote hate or discriminatory behavior are a sure way to get yourself in trouble.
10. Legal Advice
AI chatbots are not doctors, lawyers, or professionals, so don't treat these tools as replacements for real people who can give you real advice. It's also important to note that AIs can and do hallucinate information, so you should always take responses with a grain of salt.
What, then, are some things that are okay to ask, tell, or share with chatbots? Let's touch on 10:
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1. Quick Questions
Have a general question to ask that you think an AI would give a better answer than Google? Whether it's "what's the name of the world's tallest mountain" or "when was the last time a volcano exploded," these types of quick queries are fine to ask a chatbot.
2. Brainstorm Ideas
If you're stumped and need help with brainstorming ideas for a school project or a dinner party, AI chatbots can help with that, too. In fact, it can be a great way to bounce themes around to see what sticks and what doesn't.
3. Summarizing Content
Want to save time by asking an AI chatbot to summarize a large block of text for you? Ask away! While you might still want to double-check to confirm the facts and information (remember: AI can and will hallucinate), this is an easy way to condense complex subjects into a quick read.
4. Non-Identifiable Information
If you want to ask AI about something that could potentially be sensitive or personal, take out the identifiable information first and try to generalize your questions. For example, instead of revealing the medications you take, you can simply ask AI how to balance out a diet for certain health conditions.
5. Planning an Itinerary
Going on a trip soon? While you shouldn't feed AI your flight details (and you shouldn't need to...), it's fine to ask it to hash out possible itineraries for you so you can get a sense of what you should do in the places you're visiting.
6. Explain Difficult Concepts
If you're having trouble understanding complex concepts, AI might just be the tutor you're looking for. However, again, it's still important to double-check the responses you're given to make sure they're factually correct and you're not being told false information.
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7. Help with Decision-Making
Spaghetti and meatballs or curry for dinner? If you need help making quick decisions, AI can help you sort out the pros and cons of each so you can make the right pick. However, never ask AI to make important or major decisions for you.
8. Proofread Writing
Need a quick editor to look over your work? AI can do that easily. To make sure that your voice and style stay intact, remember to specify your prompts beforehand; otherwise, you might just get a piece back that sounds nothing like you.
9. Recommendations
If you're looking for restaurant, movies, or music recommendations, feel free to ask AI to spit out some suggestions. You can even narrow down the search by letting it know your favorite cuisines or genres, so the responses you get are more tailored to you.
10. Productivity Tips & Hacks
For a quick productivity boost, AI may be able to help by suggesting hacks or sharing unique tips. It can even outline or plan out a detailed schedule for you to ensure you stay on track and are able to meet your goals and deadlines.
