Using AI Safely & Responsibly
How to protect your privacy, spot mistakes and scams, and use AI ethically.
AI is safe to use when you follow a few habits. Don't paste in information you wouldn't want stored by a company. Double-check facts, numbers and anything high-stakes. Be aware that scammers now use AI too: fake voices, fake photos and very convincing messages. And be honest about when you've used AI, especially at work or school.
Key takeaways
- Never share passwords, full ID/bank numbers, or others' private data with AI.
- Verify important facts, quotes, citations and numbers with a reliable source.
- Watch for AI-powered scams: voice clones, deepfakes, urgent 'family emergency' calls.
- Follow your employer's or school's AI policy and disclose AI use where expected.
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Protect your privacy
- Passwords, PINs, security answers, 2FA codes
- Full Social Security, passport, bank or credit card numbers
- Other people's private information without permission
- Confidential work documents, unless your company has approved the tool
Tips: remove names and numbers before pasting ("my client" instead of a real name). Check your assistant's settings for options to turn off training on your chats, use temporary chats, and delete history.
Check the facts
AI can "hallucinate": invent facts, statistics, court cases, studies or links that look real. Use this quick check:
- Is it important? If a decision, money, health or your reputation depends on it, verify.
- Ask for sources, then actually open them. Fake links and misquoted sources are common.
- Cross-check with an official site or a second trusted source.
- Ask it to double-check: "Are you sure? What might be wrong in your answer?"
Spotting AI-powered scams
| Scam | Red flags | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Voice-clone "emergency" call | Familiar voice, panic, urgency, asks for money or gift cards | Hang up and call the person back on a number you know. Agree a family code word. |
| Deepfake video/photo | Celebrity pushing investments, odd lip-sync, too good to be true | Check the person's official channels. Never invest from an ad. |
| Perfect phishing email | Flawless writing but urgent request, unexpected link or attachment | Go to the site directly instead of clicking. Verify by phone. |
| Fake AI apps | Lookalike names, asks for payment or broad permissions | Download only from official sites/app stores. |
Using AI ethically
- Be transparent. If your work, school or publication expects disclosure, say you used AI.
- Own the result. You're responsible for what you send or publish, even if AI wrote the draft.
- Respect others. Don't create fake images or voices of real people without consent.
- Watch for bias. AI can reflect stereotypes from its training data; review outputs with care.
- Keep your skills. Use AI to help you think, not to stop thinking.
Kids & family
Most AI services require users to be 13+ (some 18+). Talk with kids about what AI is, that it can be wrong, and that they should never share personal details with it. Use it together at first.
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