AI Safety & What to Watch For

AI Gets Things Wrong

This is the most important thing to know: AI makes mistakes. Confidently.

When ChatGPT tells you something that sounds perfectly true but is completely wrong, that’s called a hallucination. It happens because AI is predicting words, not looking up facts.

Common hallucination examples:

• Making up fake statistics with specific numbers
• Citing books or research papers that don’t exist
• Giving outdated information confidently
• Inventing historical events or quotes

Rule of thumb: The more specific and factual a claim is, the more you should verify it.

Protect Your Privacy

Every time you type something into an AI chatbot, that text might be:

• Stored on the company’s servers
• Reviewed by employees for quality
• Used to improve future AI models

What NOT to share:

• Passwords or login details
• Credit card or bank information
• Medical records or diagnoses
• Confidential work documents
• Private personal details you wouldn’t post publicly

What’s generally fine:

• General questions and learning topics
• Creative writing and brainstorming
• Public information you’d search for anyway

Watch for Bias

AI was trained on human-created content — and humans have biases. This means AI can:

• Reinforce stereotypes
• Give different quality answers about different cultures
• Default to certain perspectives and overlook others

When AI gives you information about people, cultures, or social topics, think critically. Ask yourself: “Is this showing a balanced view?”

The Golden Rules

1. Verify important facts — Don’t blindly trust AI for medical, legal, or financial advice
2. Protect your privacy — Don’t share sensitive personal data
3. Think critically — AI sounds confident even when it’s wrong
4. You’re responsible — Anything you publish from AI is your responsibility
5. It’s a tool, not an authority — Use it to help think, not to think for you

Remember: AI is like a very knowledgeable but sometimes unreliable assistant. Use it wisely, verify what matters, and never outsource your critical thinking.