Privacy and safety
Episode 9 · 2 minutes 42 seconds · Free to learn · Words printed on screen · Watch above, then try the exercise below.
What you'll learn
- Why what you type into an AI chat should be chosen on purpose — think of the chat as a notebook that lives somewhere else
- Pile one, never goes in: passwords and PINs, bank and card numbers, government ID numbers — and other people's private details
- Pile two, make it general: how swapping names, places, and exact figures keeps the help just as good
- Pile three, fine to share: everyday questions, drafts, public facts, recipes, and plans
- The settings check, what to do if something sensitive slips in, and the café test for everything else
Key points
What you type into an AI chat can be kept, so sort before you send — into three piles. Never goes in: passwords and PIN codes, bank account and card numbers, government ID numbers like a passport or driver's license. If a step needs one of those numbers, AI is the wrong tool for it — do that step yourself on the bank's own site or app. Other people's information gets the same care: a friend's phone number, a coworker's address, a customer's details — if it isn't yours and isn't public, it doesn't go in. Make it general: real names, places, and figures usually change nothing about the help you get, so "my neighbor" becomes "a neighbor" and the exact amount becomes "about." Fine to share: everyday questions, drafts in your own words, public facts, recipes, and plans — most of this course lives in that pile. Two standing habits finish the job: check your app's settings once (delete old chats; choose whether chats help train the system — your call), and if something sensitive ever slips in, delete that chat and change the password if one was in it. The test for everything: if you wouldn't read it aloud in a busy café, don't type it in. Camp rule: share the situation — keep the secrets.
Try it
- Before your next few chats, pause and sort what you're about to type: never, general, or fine.
- Run the café test on anything you're unsure about.
- Open your app's settings once and set chat history and training the way you like.
The words in this video
Prefer to read, or want to follow along while you watch? Here is everything the narrator says in this lesson, word for word.
Welcome back to AI Camp. Last time I promised the privacy lesson — what stays yours, and what never goes into the chat. Start with one simple idea: what you type into an AI chat can be kept. Think of the chat as a notebook that lives somewhere else — helpful, yes, but not under your roof. So before you type, sort what you are about to share into three piles: never share it, make it general, and fine to share.
Pile one — never goes in. Passwords and PIN codes. Bank account and card numbers. Government ID numbers, like a passport or a driver's license. If a task needs one of those numbers, AI is the wrong tool for that step. Do that part yourself, on the bank's own site or app. Other people's information gets the same care: a friend's phone number, a coworker's home address, a customer's details. If it is not yours and not public, it does not go in.
Pile two — make it general. Real names, places, and figures often change nothing about the help you get. Swap them: my neighbor becomes "a neighbor," and the exact amount becomes "about." Watch the difference: with names and addresses left out, the ask stays general — and the answer is just as useful. Pile three — fine to share: everyday questions, drafts in your own words, public facts, recipes, and plans. Most of what this whole course has done sits in this pile — and it was all fine.
One more habit: look at your app's settings once. Most AI apps let you delete old chats, and choose whether your chats help train the system. Set them the way you like — it is your call. And if something sensitive slipped in once — do not panic. Delete that chat, and if a password was in it, change the password. Then carry on. Use your own account, on your own device, and keep that account's password strong and different from your others — the same care you give your email.
Here is an easy test for everything: if you would not read it aloud in a busy café, do not type it into the chat. At the garden club, we keep the member list on paper for exactly this reason — names and phone numbers stay in the folder, and the chat only ever hears about "our twelve members." Today's camp rule: share the situation — keep the secrets. AI needs the shape of your problem, not your private facts.
Three piles, one test, and a settings check now and then — that is the whole habit. It takes seconds, and it keeps what is yours, yours. Try it this week: before your next few chats, pause and sort — never, general, or fine — and run the café test. It becomes second nature fast. Next time, our final lesson: putting it all together — chaining tools and simple workflows, so one answer feeds the next. See you at camp.