Would You Share This With AI?

Lower Concern

If the email contains no personal, confidential, or sensitive information, this is relatively safe. The AI doesn't need identifying details to help. Still worth considering: Are you using a work or school account? Does your organization have policies about AI tool use?

Think First / Don't Share As-Is

This involves other people's private information. Before using AI, ask: Do I have the right to share this? If this is someone's personal document, you probably don't. If you own or manage the information, you can still minimize: Remove names, phone numbers, and account details that aren't essential to what the AI needs to do. Summarize the information instead of pasting the raw document.

Key questions: Is this my information or someone else's? Do I have permission? Can I remove identifying details?

Think First

Brainstorming itself is low-risk. But consider whether you're mentioning a child's name, age, or other identifying details. The AI doesn't need those to help brainstorm. You could instead say "a 10-year-old" rather than a name. Lower Concern if you're only sharing the theme and ages, not identifying details.

Think First or Don't Share

Workplace policies matter here. Many organizations restrict using external AI tools with confidential information. Before sharing any work document, check your employee handbook or ask your manager. Even if the AI tool is trustworthy, your company may have contractual or legal obligations about sharing confidential data. If policy says no, don't. If policy allows it, you might still minimize by removing names, account numbers, or client details that aren't essential to what the AI is helping with.

Think First / Lower Concern

This is not medical advice from us — talk to a doctor about your health. But for the privacy question: A full medical record contains dates, doctor names, diagnoses, and identifying information. The AI doesn't need that to explain a term. Share just the term or specific symptom you're asking about, not the entire record. Example: Instead of pasting a scan report, ask "What does 'hyperplasia' mean?" That gets you the information you need without exposing your full medical history.

Also consider: Does your healthcare provider have policies about AI use? Some healthcare systems restrict external AI access to patient data.

Think First / Ask Permission

This introduces the question: Do I have the right to share this? Just because something is accessible to you doesn't mean you have permission to share it with others (including AI). If someone else wrote it and shared it only with you, using an AI tool to help improve it involves sharing their work without their knowledge or permission. The respectful approach: Ask first. Most people will say yes, and then you both benefit from the AI's help.

If this were your own collaborative work together, it's different — but still worth checking your classmate is comfortable with it.