Everyday AI · Module 1

Decide what information may go in

Suggested time: 5 minutes.

Before entering anything, separate two questions:

1. Is this information permitted in this tool for this purpose?
2. Is all of this information necessary for the task?

Access is not the same as permission to share. Being able to open a workplace document does not automatically mean you may paste it into an external assistant. If permission is unclear, stop and use your organisation’s approved guidance or ask the responsible person.

Use the minimum information needed. A formatting exercise does not need real names, contact details or customer histories. For this course, the safest practice input is synthetic data: material invented for the exercise, rather than copied from real records.

Removing names alone is not a reliable privacy solution. A job title, unusual incident, date or location may still identify someone. When you do not need a real record, replace the whole scenario with an invented example. Do not paste the real record into AI and ask the assistant to anonymise it; you would already have shared it.

Worked input decision

Unsuitable learning input:

“Here is our real attendee spreadsheet, including contact details and access needs. Use it to practise writing a progress update.”

The task does not require those details, and some may reveal sensitive information. Do not enter the spreadsheet. Use the supplied fictional notes instead.

Suitable learning input:

“Fictional practice note: The team has drafted a workshop handout. A colleague still needs to review it.”

This lets you practise the same writing skill without exposing a real person’s information.

Privacy settings do not replace permission

Controls for model training, retention and personalisation serve different purposes. A training opt-out does not mean information is never stored, never accessible or approved for your workplace use. Temporary chat is not a guarantee of confidentiality either. OpenAI’s guidance explains that temporary chats may be retained for safety purposes. Check the current data controls guidance (https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-in-chatgpt) and temporary chat guidance (https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8914046-temporary-chat-in-chatgpt). Other providers have their own policies.

For this module, changing a privacy setting is unnecessary: use only the invented inputs provided.