Kingy AI Certificate · Lesson 3 of 6
Keep private things private
About 7 minutes. No signup.
You can paste almost anything into AI to get help. Just take the people out first.
Why it matters
What you type into a chatbot doesn't just disappear.
Google's privacy notice for its Gemini app says some chats are read by human reviewers, and it asks people not to enter confidential information they "wouldn't want a reviewer to see."
Source: Gemini Apps Privacy Hub, Google, updated 26 October 2026, checked 9 November 2026.
Other AI apps have their own rules and settings, and your workplace may have rules too. You don't need to learn them all. One habit covers you almost everywhere.
The habit: take out the people
Before you paste, scan for these five things and take them out:
- Names of customers, patients, pupils and staff
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Home addresses
- Account, order, ID or policy numbers
Everything else can usually stay: the problem, the dates, the prices, the policy, the wording you want help with. That's the part AI actually needs.
The sneaky one: details that point to one person
Sometimes there's no name, but it's still obvious who it is.
"The only night nurse on Ward 4 complained about…" There's only one, so that's as good as a name. Make it general: "A staff member complained about…"
Try it (2 minutes, with your own AI)
Here's a message from a customer. It's made up.
See a good way to do it
What to paste:
A customer says their bin wasn't collected on Tuesday, the third missed collection this month. Write a short, polite reply apologising and promising we'll collect on Thursday.
The AI writes the reply. You add "Dear Ms Vaillancourt" at the top before sending. Her name goes to her, not to the chatbot.
Check yourself
1. You want AI to tidy up a staff rota. It lists names next to shifts. What do you do?
- Paste it as it is: it's only a rota
- Swap names for "Staff A, Staff B…", then paste
- Don't use AI at all
Answer
Swap the names for "Staff A, Staff B", then paste. The shifts are what you need help with. The names aren't.
2. A customer's complaint mentions their order number. Can it stay?
- No, take it out
- Yes, numbers aren't private
Answer
No, take it out. Account and order numbers point to a person.
3. True or false: if you remove the name, the text is always safe.
Answer
False. "The only manager at our Elm Street shop" is as good as a name.
In the certificate test
Every task has made-up private details planted in it. If any of them end up in what you send your AI, that task scores zero and the attempt can't pass. It's the one rule we're strict about, because it's the mistake that can really hurt someone.
When a task asks for a reply to one person, hand it in ready to send: their name back in and no [placeholders] left. If not, that task can score at most 7 out of 10.