AI guides · Mistakes to avoid
AI mistakes to avoid
AI is useful and it is easy to misuse. These are the three mistakes that hurt people, and the simple fix for each one.
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- No hype
- Honest about limits
It invents facts, confidently
Chatbots invent facts and state them with total confidence. Dates, quotes, and statistics are the most common inventions. If a fact matters, check it against the original source.
Sharing sensitive data
Never paste account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, or private health details into a chatbot. Assume anything you type could be stored. Keep private things private.
Trusting it blindly on money, health, or legal
AI is not licensed to advise you on money, health, or the law. Use it to learn the vocabulary. Make decisions with a real professional.
The fix
Treat AI as a first draft, never the final word. Check facts against primary sources: the official site, the real document, the actual person. Two minutes of checking beats a confident mistake.
Common questions
- How do I spot a hallucination?
- You cannot spot it by tone. The chatbot sounds sure either way. Check names, dates, and numbers against the original source.
- Is my chat history private?
- Assume it is not. Companies may review chats to improve their systems. Never type anything you would not want read back to you.
- Can AI write a will or a contract?
- It can draft language, but legal documents need a licensed attorney in your state. A bad document costs more than a lawyer.
- What is the single biggest mistake?
- Copying an answer into a decision without checking it. The fix is simple: verify against the primary source before you act.
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