AI, Privacy and Security: What You Should Know Before You Paste

AI tools are powerful, but they raise real questions about where your data goes. A few sensible habits cover most of the risk.

• Is my data used to train models? Many business plans say no; free plans may differ. Read the policy.
• Where is it stored, and for how long?
• Who can access it? Including staff of the provider and other users on your team.
• What certifications and agreements are offered? Look for enterprise controls if you handle regulated data.

• Passwords, API keys and tokens.
• Customer personal data.
• Financial account details.
• Health records.
• Unreleased financials or confidential contracts.

• Prompt injection: Hidden text in a web page or email can try to instruct your agent. Content an agent reads should be treated as data, never as commands.
• Over-broad permissions: Give agents the minimum access needed.
• Irreversible actions: Require human approval before sending, paying or deleting.
• Logging: Keep a record of what the agent did.

1. List approved tools.
2. Define what data may and may not be shared.
3. Require review of AI output before it reaches customers.
4. Name someone responsible for questions and incidents.
5. Revisit quarterly, since the tools change fast.

You don't have to avoid AI to stay safe. Choose tools deliberately, limit what they can see and do, and keep a human in the loop for anything that can't be undone.