What You Should Never Paste Into Public AI Tools

The biggest AI risk for most professionals is not robots taking their job — it's accidentally pasting a client's roadmap into a consumer AI tool and triggering a breach notification. These incidents are almost always preventable with one layer of awareness.

• Customer PII — names, emails, addresses, SSNs
• Employee PII and medical information
• Unreleased financials or M&A details
• Source code from a private repo
• Signed contracts or legal strategy
• Security credentials or API keys

• Internal memos — redact names and numbers first
• Meeting transcripts — strip names, use roles ("VP of Sales")
• Client names you could say publicly, in generic contexts
• Your own performance review — if you're comfortable with the provider

A 3-second check before pasting anything to AI:

1. If this pasted into a public tweet right now,
   would I lose my job or a customer?

2. Can I redact names, numbers, or dates without
   losing the point?

3. Does my company's AI policy cover this use?

If any answer is unclear: don't paste. Use the enterprise
tool, or use a redacted version.

The big idea: AI at work is a privilege that lives or dies on one skill — knowing what not to paste. A 3-second check saves careers, contracts, and reputations. Build the habit and you'll keep your AI access for life.