AI Security Hub

AI Security Guide

How to Use AI Safely: A Security Guide for Everyday People

Artificial intelligence is no longer a niche tool for developers or tech companies, it's everywhere now. People use AI to write emails, summarize documents, get financial explanations, generate images, plan trips, prepare legal paperwork, study for school, and a thousand other tasks.

Most people are using AI in unsafe ways without realizing it.

Not because they're careless, but because the rules of AI are new, invisible, and constantly shifting and lack the skills of AI Security Awareness. I created this guide to help you stay safe when using AI tools, without technical jargon and without fear.

This guide exists because people deserve to understand how to use AI safely without needing a cybersecurity certification.

The 10-Second Safety Checklist

1. Don't paste IDs, SSNs, or account numbers into AI chat
2. Don't upload Taxes, bank statements, or pay stubs
3. Don't upload anything you wouldn't post on Facebook tomorrow.
4. If the AI asks for personal details -STOP
5. Verify sensitive output with a human expert.
6. Never use AI to bypass work policies.
7. When in doubt: summarize the content, never use raw documents.

5 Crucial Privacy Settings You Should Enable Now

1. Disable training on your chats
2. Turn on private mode
3. Clear chat history regularly
4. Use a password manager
5. Enable two-factor authentication

The 5 biggest risks of using AI today

1. Oversharing personal data

   People paste SSNs, medical info, financial details, IRS letters, resumes with home addresses… all the time.

2. Malicious prompts / scams

   Fake customer-support chats, phishing, impersonation.

3. Data retention misunderstanding

   People assume everything is 'private' -it's not always true.

4. AI-generated wrong answers

   When an AI confidently gives false medical, legal, or financial instructions.

5. Leaking company data

   Employees dumping sensitive work docs into public models (huge problem right now).

What does 'your data may be used to improve the model' actually mean?

1. Your data may be stored.
2. Your data may be reviewed by humans.
3. Your may appear in future outputs indirectly.
4. Your might not be deleted immediately even if you close the browser.
5. Your data may be reviewed by humans.

Prompting Securely

	Help me respond to my bank:
	Dear Mr, Jones we have noticed Unusual Activity on Your Account #123456789....
	

	Help me respond to my bank:
	Dear Mr, Jones we have noticed Unusual Activity on Your Account #<ACCOUNT>....
	

	Here is my divorce paperwork. What should I do next?
	

	Explain the general process someone might follow after receiving divorce paperwork. No legal advice needed.
	

AI for Parents, Seniors, Employees, and Small Businesses

For Parents

1. Teach kids not to give AI their full name
2. Watch out for AI chatbots that mimic children
3. Don't upload school IDs, report cards, or face photos
4. Use AI together when possible

For Seniors

1. Be skeptical of AI-generated 'customer support' chats
2. Hang up if someone calls sounding exactly like a relative asking for money. Don't trust -verify
3. Never upload Medicare, Social Security, or bank documents

For Employees

1. Don't paste client info
2. Don't paste internal docs
3. Don't put company interlectual property (IP) into public models
4. Ask if your company has an AI usage policy

For Small Business

1. Protect customer data
2. Don’t upload invoices, contracts, or client lists
3. AI can help with templates, summaries, or generic content instead
4. Create a company AI usage policy