Chatbot usage has significantly increased in the last few years as AI has become mainstream and relevant. Previously chatbots existed mostly on websites to answer FAQs or help laymen use the products/services offered on the website.
With the advancement in machine learning and the sudden takeover of the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini, and Character AI chatbots became the hot favorite of human users to seek knowledge and exchange formal or informal communication.
Chatbots can replicate natural language by understanding the pattern of usage they are put to by their human counterparts. The recent versions of ChatGPT are the prime example of how intelligent chatbots can become if properly trained.
Chatbots are Programs, not Humans!
Chatbots are programmed to respond to queries a user offers via text input. They are not your friend, or special ones even though they can be smart enough to mimic the human interaction making you feel as if the conversation is going on between two humans.
Moreover, they learn every little piece of information you offer through conversations with them. So, you should be careful of the information you share with these AI models.
Chatbots are programs that are susceptible to technological failures or hacks. So, if you have shared any sensitive information with the chatbot, they will store it on their servers. Later, that data may be hacked, stolen, or misused.
Information shared with chatbots may be collected and shared with the engineers developing them for training the model. In some cases, the data may be sold or unethically used by third-party elements associated with the companies operating and managing the chatbots.
Usually, firms like OpenAI allow users to opt out from offering any data that developers may use to train the AI model.
However, you can never ensure or know what goes behind your device. Privacy is a myth in the digital world. It is better to watch your digital footprint before stepping into the world of AI.
This guide aims to help you understand how to safely use chatbots without sharing specific information with them.
Do not share this information with AI Chatbots.
Here are some data you should never share with AI chatbots if you value your privacy and security.
Passwords and PINs
Avoid mentioning or sharing password details with the chatbots. It could be your Gmail password, banking credentials, or other login details for a specific website/app. Once you share such vital information, it may be stored in the chatbot’s server.
In case, the server gets hacked or there is an intentional/unintentional data breach, your password and similar login credentials will fall into the wrong hands. There are chances of thorough misuse of your data related to your password.
Similarly, do not ask for password suggestions from the chatbot. If you use passwords suggested by the chatbots it may be prone to a hack.
Personal Information
Never share your address, work or school location, or kid’s school/college details with chatbots.
In the event of a data leak, this information can be used by criminals against you or your family members.
Adding to that, avoid sharing your phone number, government identification number, vehicle registration details, etc.
Phone number in particular is majorly used as a tool to send marketing pitches, phishing texts, or telemarketing calls.
Confidential Organizational Data
When you work in an office of any organization you have to follow various rules of confidentiality. It is not allowed to share data related to products or services offered by your organization.
It means refrain from sharing information related to your office, employee ID, or any project that you are a part of.
In several popular private companies, the use of chatbots in the workplace is strictly prohibited. Information of one firm may be misused by a rival company to cause distress in the former’s business.
Also, employees of government offices that deal with national security and defense should be more careful when using AI chatbots.
In most cases, using highly adaptive AI models is not permitted in highly sensitive government offices.
Any confidential info regarding a nation should not be disclosed on chatbot messaging platforms. It can lead to problematic political conflicts.
Seeking Medical Consultation from Chatbots
Instead of going to doctors to diagnose their health issues, people depend on chatbots to find a possible cause and get suggestions for medicines to fix the problem. It is a dangerous practice and may result in health hazards.
First, data related to your health metrics and medical issues should remain private and be shared with a registered medical practitioner.
Secondly, relying on medical advice from chatbots and consuming medicines without consulting a doctor may lead to further medical issues.
Intimate Personal Thoughts
With chatbots mimicking the human psyche and humanizing the conversation in the most natural way possible, people are finding it easier to open themselves up to chatbots than forming connections with real human beings.
Humans can now talk with chatbots, where the latter may pose as a friend, potential problem solver, or listener.
In a world where everyone is busy and the real human connection is almost non-existent, chatbots have stepped up to fix this problem by acting as a friends in need.
Although communicating with chatbots is safe, it entirely depends on what type of data you share with them.
Always be wary of what personal information you share with your chatbot ‘friend’. Often people in their weakest moments open up and share deeper personal details that the chatbot stores in its servers.
When a server data breach occurs, cybercriminals may use all that information against you for online bullying, harassment, or scams.
Financial Information
Do not share your financial details with chatbots. It includes information such as your bank name, the amount in your account, salary, debts, etc.
Avoid sharing details on your investments and monetary transactions.
Normally, people experiencing issues in banking services, ask chatbots for solutions. This is unsafe and hackers may use this against the unsuspecting victim luring them into any scam trap.
Financial info of any type falls under sensitive data that should be strictly confidential and known only to the respective user associated with it.
Such data once shared with chatbots will get saved in their servers. There is a great risk of this data getting compromised at one point or the other.
Bottom Line
Chatbots are useful to automate mundane tasks and offer quick information on various subjects. Always aim to use the AI chatbots to your advantage rather than making it a risk factor.
You reserve all rights to your data and its privacy. Your private and sensitive info may be misused to harm you or your interests when shared with the chatbots.
Consider AI chatbots as just another program smart enough to learn and humanize the conversation to help you address your queries. Share the necessary information to get things done and avoid exchanging sensitive data with chatbots through chats.
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