# Make a "do not paste into AI" list for your staff

Turn a list of the records your business handles into a one-page staff rule sheet that says what never goes into AI, what is fine with details removed, and who to ask.

- Category: Team and operations
- Difficulty: Easy
- Setup: about 10 minutes
- Time saved: about 30 minutes a use (our estimate, not a measurement)
- Works with: Any AI chat
- Test status: Run once on made-up data on 21 Oct 2026 with Claude. One run, not proof.
- Approval: Draft, not yet approved by the owner
- Version: 1
- Last checked: 2026-10-21
- Canonical URL: https://hoursaved.com/guides/do-not-paste-ai-list/

## What this does

List the kinds of records you handle and what staff use AI for. The AI sorts them into a one-page sheet: never paste, OK with details removed, always OK, and what to do when unsure. You check it and hand it to staff.

## Before you start

- Any AI chat.
- A list of the kinds of records, forms and messages you handle (types only, not the records).
- About 10 minutes (our estimate).
- Privacy: no real data needed. "Rental applications" is enough.

## Steps

1. List every kind of record you touch in a week: forms, reports, messages, codes. The FTC's data guide calls this "take stock."
2. Note which AI tools staff use, and whether they're business or personal accounts. Google's Gemini privacy page, for example, says some chats are read by human reviewers and asks users not to enter anything confidential.
3. Paste the prompt and fill in the brackets.
4. Decide every CHECK and UNCLEAR yourself.
5. Add anything the AI missed; it only knows what you listed.
6. Go over the sheet with staff and post it where they work. Update it for new tools or record types.

## The prompt

```
Help me make a one-page "Do not paste into AI" list for my staff. Use only what I give you. Don't send anything.

Business: [type of business]
Staff roles: [roles]
Information we handle: [the kinds of records, forms and messages]
AI tools staff use: [tools, and whether business or personal accounts]
What we do want staff to use AI for: [tasks]
Who staff should ask when unsure: [name or role]

Write:
1. NEVER PASTE: 6-10 items, each specific to my business (for example "tenant Social Security numbers from applications," not just "personal data").
2. OK IF YOU REMOVE DETAILS FIRST: 3-5 items, each with how to remove details (for example, replace names with "Customer A").
3. ALWAYS OK: 3-5 items.
4. IF YOU'RE NOT SURE: one short rule and who to ask.

Keep it under 250 words, in plain words a new hire can follow. If I didn't say who to ask, write UNCLEAR. If an item could fit two lists, put it in the stricter one and mark it CHECK.
```

## Try it with made-up data

Business: Summit Ridge Property Management, 140 rental units. Roles: office manager, leasing agent, bookkeeper, two maintenance techs. Information: rental applications (with Social Security numbers, pay stubs, ID), background and credit reports, leases, rent ledgers, bank deposit records, maintenance requests, tenant emails, eviction notices, owner statements, gate and lockbox codes. AI tools: free chat apps on personal phones. Want AI for: maintenance update emails, rewording listings, summarizing long tenant email threads. Who to ask: (left blank).

## What the AI gave us

> **Do not paste into AI: Summit Ridge Property Management**
>
> You're using personal accounts, so treat every chat as something a stranger could read.
>
> NEVER PASTE: rental applications or anything from them (Social Security numbers, ID photos, pay stubs); background or credit reports; bank account numbers, deposit records or card numbers; gate, lockbox or alarm codes, or any password; eviction notices or anything about a legal dispute; rent ledgers showing a named tenant's balance; owner statements with an owner's income or account details.
>
> OK IF YOU REMOVE DETAILS FIRST: tenant email threads (replace names with "Tenant A," the unit with "Unit X," delete phone numbers and emails; CHECK: if it mentions rent owed or a legal issue, don't paste it). Maintenance requests (keep the problem, such as "leaking kitchen faucet," remove name, unit and entry instructions). A single lease clause you have a general question about, never the signed lease (CHECK).
>
> ALWAYS OK: rewording a vacancy listing that's already public; drafting a general notice such as "water off Tuesday 9 to noon" with no names; general how-to questions.
>
> IF YOU'RE NOT SURE: leave it out and ask first. Who to ask: UNCLEAR.

Good: specific, with the two borderline items marked CHECK. The owner still had to name the office manager as the contact, and add tenant health details and accommodation requests to NEVER PASTE, since they weren't in the notes.

## Check before you send

- [ ] Every record type you handle is on the sheet.
- [ ] Codes, passwords and bank or card numbers are under NEVER PASTE.
- [ ] Each CHECK item has your decision.
- [ ] A real person is named for questions.
- [ ] The "remove details" steps are simple to follow.
- [ ] Staff have read it.

## Don't paste

- Any real record. Describe types only.
- Passwords, codes or logins, even as examples.
- Staff names next to past mistakes.

## When not to use this

- As your only security step. It's a staff habit, not a security system.
- Health care, legal or financial work with special privacy rules. Check those first.
- If staff can't follow it. Shorter beats complete.

## Questions owners ask

**What should employees never put into ChatGPT or other AI tools?**
Social Security numbers, card and bank numbers, passwords and codes, health details, legal matters and anything shared in confidence. The FTC names Social Security numbers and financial details as the data thieves use most.

**Do business AI accounts change the rules?**
Settings differ by tool and plan; read your tool's privacy page. The list is still worth having.

## Sources

- [FTC - Protecting Personal Information - A Guide for Business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business)
- [Google - Gemini Apps Privacy Hub](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13594961?hl=en)
- [U.S. SBA - AI for small business](https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/ai-small-business)

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From HourSaved (https://hoursaved.com/), a brand of Momentum Elevation LLC. Web page: https://hoursaved.com/guides/do-not-paste-ai-list/