Use this checklist every time you’re about to feed data into an AI tool.
The Rule: Would I be comfortable sending this exact information to a trusted human contractor helping me on my project? If yes, it’s AI-safe. If not, pause.
✅ Safe to Share
- Public DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM)
- Web hosting configuration (without passwords)
- Code snippets (non-proprietary)
- Open-source codebases
- High-level architecture diagrams (without keys or tokens)
- Generic documentation queries
- Public API docs
⚠ Use Caution (Minimize Details)
- Product strategy or roadmap plans
- Early-stage architecture decisions with unique competitive insight
- Business model pivots or market-sensitive analysis
Safe if you fully anonymize specifics.
🚫 Never Paste Into AI Tools
- User PII (names, emails, phone numbers, addresses)
- Full customer datasets
- API keys, OAuth tokens, secret credentials
- Financial account numbers
- Private legal documents
- Contract terms or sensitive negotiations
- Anything covered by NDAs
AI Vendor Quick Review
| AI Tool | Enterprise Data Isolation? | Trains on Your Data? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (Free) | ❌ | ✅ (opt-out possible) | Avoid sensitive data |
| ChatGPT (Pro/Team/Enterprise) | ✅ | ❌ (no training) | Safer for private work |
| Claude (Anthropic Pro) | ✅ | ❌ | Good privacy policies |
| Ollama (local) | ✅ | ❌ | Fully private, local-first |
Your Standing Default:
“I will aggressively use AI tools for coding, config generation, debugging, documentation, and architecture assistance—but I will never paste credentials or customer data into them.”
Save this checklist to your solo builder workspace. Review it once before every major AI prompt session.
AI won’t burn you. Careless use of AI can.