What not to tell AI, and what to do instead

Treat what you type into an AI app like an email to a company you don't know. It is stored on their computers, it may be read by people who check the AI's answers, and you can't take it back.

So keep out anything that could hurt you or someone else if a stranger saw it. You can still get almost all the help you want. Take the names and numbers out first.

What should I never paste into AI?

Ask one question before you paste: what happens to this if it ends up somewhere I didn't choose? Most of the time the answer is "nothing much". These are the times it isn't.

• Anything that opens an account. OTPs, passwords, UPI PINs, card numbers and CVVs, the login for your bank, the GST portal or the income tax portal. No AI ever needs these. If one asks, stop.
• Numbers that identify a person. Aadhaar, PAN, passport and voter ID numbers, bank account numbers. Yours, and above all other people's.
• Other people's private details. A customer's phone number and address, a patient's report, an employee's salary or appraisal, a student's marks. They never agreed to this.
• A client's business. Their accounts, a deal you are negotiating for them, anything under a non-disclosure agreement. Ask yourself whether it is yours to share. Usually it isn't.
• Photos of documents. A photo of a cheque, an ID card or a bill carries everything printed on it, not only the part you asked about.

How do I get the same help without sharing it?

Swap the real details for placeholders before you paste. The AI doesn't need them to do the job.

Instead of	Write
Sharma Traders, Ludhiana	[CLIENT], a wholesaler in Punjab
₹4,37,850 outstanding since 12 March	[AMOUNT] outstanding for about 7 months
Priya, our accounts executive	[STAFF NAME], our accounts executive
PAN ABCDE1234F	leave it out

Ask for the reply, the table or the letter. Then put the real names and numbers back yourself, in your own copy. It takes a minute, and you also get a second look at every figure before it goes out.

If the job only works with the real data, such as checking a full bank statement, use a tool your organisation has approved for that, or do that part without AI.

Can I stop the AI company from training on my chats?

Yes, in each of the big three. These steps were checked on 6 October 2026.

• ChatGPT: Settings, then Data controls. Turn off "Improve the model for everyone".
• Claude: Settings, then Privacy. Turn off "Help improve Claude".
• Gemini: open myactivity.google.com/product/gemini and turn off Keep Activity. Google still keeps each chat for up to 72 hours.

This stops new chats being used to train the AI. It doesn't make a chat private. The company still stores it for a while, and it can't undo what was used before you changed the setting. The rule about what you paste still applies.

Is AI listening to me through my phone?

An app can use your microphone only if you gave it permission. Check which apps have it.

• Android: open Settings and search for "Permission manager", then choose Microphone. The menus differ by brand, so search rather than hunt.
• iPhone: Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone.

Do the same for Camera, Photos and Contacts. An AI app needs the microphone only if you talk to it, and your photos only when you choose one to share.

Do you need an AI app on your phone at all? Only if you'll use it. If you tried one and stopped, delete it. One app you use well is safer than four you've forgotten about.

Is it safe to use AI apps, then?

For most work, yes, if you keep to the rule above. The bigger risk is usually not what you tell the AI. It is trusting what it tells you. It writes a wrong figure in the same confident tone as a right one, so check names, numbers and dates before anything goes out in your name.

The same goes for AI that does things for you: sends the email, books the slot, makes the payment. Decide in advance what it may do on its own, and what waits for you to say yes.