9 Things You Should Never Say to an AI Chatbot

What It Is: Sharing bank account numbers, credit card details, passwords, or other sensitive financial data with AI chatbots.

Why It's Risky: According to cybersecurity firm AgileBlue, AI systems may store conversation data for training purposes or system improvements. Even if companies claim data protection, there's no guarantee your information won't be accessed or used in ways you didn't intend. Additionally, voice assistants can be vulnerable to remote attacks where criminals capture recorded voice data to access financial accounts.

What To Do: Keep all banking, credit card numbers, and financial passwords completely separate from AI conversations. Use your bank's official apps and websites for financial tasks instead.

The Reality: One in five Americans has already sought health advice from AI chatbots, according to Cleveland Clinic data, but this presents significant risks.

Why It's Problematic: AI chatbots are not licensed medical professionals and cannot provide personalized medical diagnoses, treatment recommendations, or emergency care guidance. They lack access to your medical history, current medications, and the ability to perform physical examinations that are crucial for accurate medical assessment.

What To Do: Use AI for general health information only, and always consult qualified healthcare professionals for medical concerns, symptoms, or treatment decisions.

What People Try: Expressing romantic feelings, asking about intimate topics, or attempting to engage in inappropriate conversations.

The Problem: AI chatbots are programmed tools, not sentient beings capable of genuine emotional relationships. Research shows that some users have developed unhealthy attachments to AI systems, with extreme cases including people who have "married" chatbots. There are specialized platforms for adult AI interactions, but general-purpose assistants aren't designed for this purpose.

The Reality Check: Remember there's a programmer managing the system, and your conversations may be reviewed or logged for system improvements.

What It Covers: Company secrets, proprietary data, internal strategies, client information, or any confidential business communications.

See also - Altman Warns That Your ChatGPT Conversations Can (and Will) Be Used Against You in Court

The Risk: Sharing private or confidential information with AI systems can have severe implications on both personal and professional levels. Many AI platforms use conversation data to improve their models, which could potentially expose sensitive business information to competitors or unauthorized parties.

Best Practice: Treat AI chatbots as public forums when it comes to sensitive information. If you wouldn't post it on social media, don't share it with an AI assistant.

What Users Expect: Asking AI to clear search history, delete conversations, or remove previously shared information.

The Technical Reality: Most AI chatbots cannot selectively delete specific conversation data or remove information already used to train their systems. Once information is shared, it may remain in the platform’s records despite follow-up requests to forget it.

See also -7 ChatGPT Myths Killing Your Productivity — And What Actually Works

What Actually Works: Use the platform's official privacy controls and data deletion tools if available, rather than relying on conversational commands to manage your data.

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Common Examples: Asking "Are you real?" repeatedly, demanding proof of consciousness, or becoming aggressive when the AI doesn't understand complex requests.

Why It Backfires: AI systems operate through pattern recognition and response generation, not consciousness or understanding. Hostile interactions often lead to unhelpful responses and frustrating user experiences without achieving any meaningful insight about AI capabilities.

Better Approach: Accept AI limitations and focus on tasks where these systems excel - information synthesis, writing assistance, and structured problem-solving.

What's Off-Limits: Asking for guidance on illegal activities, harmful actions toward others, or content that violates platform terms of service.

System Response: Most AI chatbots are programmed with safety filters that will refuse these requests, but attempting them can flag your account for review or suspension.

The Standard: AI companies have invested heavily in safety measures to prevent their systems from providing information that could cause harm, and these safeguards are continuously updated.

The Request: Asking AI assistants to conduct banking operations, make purchases, or handle money transfers.

Security Concerns: While some voice assistants can connect to financial apps for basic functions, this creates multiple security vulnerabilities. Voice data can be intercepted, and financial transactions require verification methods that conversational AI cannot securely provide.

Safer Alternative: Use official banking apps with proper security protocols, multi-factor authentication, and encrypted connections for any financial operations.

These limitations reveal important patterns about AI chatbot capabilities and safety boundaries. The common thread is that AI systems work best for information processing, creative tasks, and general assistance, but struggle with personalized, sensitive, or real-world actions that require human judgment, privacy protection, or legal authority.

Understanding these boundaries helps you leverage AI effectively while avoiding the pitfalls that can lead to privacy breaches, misinformation, or security risks. The most productive AI interactions focus on tasks where these systems excel: research synthesis, writing assistance, learning support, and creative brainstorming.

Your Next Step: Review your current AI usage patterns and identify any areas where you might be sharing information better kept private. According to security experts, establish clear personal guidelines for what information you're comfortable sharing with AI systems, and always verify important information through authoritative sources.

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