How to Cut Your Cyber Risk in the AI Era: Practical Privacy Tips

Introduction

If you use ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or another generative AI tool at work or at home, you’re part of a fast-growing trend. A recent World Economic Forum report found that half of all companies now use AI in some capacity, and personal adoption is climbing just as quickly. But this rapid uptake comes with a catch: new privacy and cyber risks that many users haven’t yet learned to navigate.

The same report warns that as AI use expands, so does exposure to phishing attacks, data leaks, and the misuse of personal information. The good news is that you don’t need to stop using these tools to stay safe. A few deliberate habits can significantly reduce your risk while still letting you benefit from AI.

What happened

The World Economic Forum’s latest research on cyber resilience in the AI era underscores a simple but uncomfortable truth: every time you feed an AI tool your private data, you are trusting that the company behind it will protect that information. In practice, that trust is often misplaced. AI providers collect huge volumes of user inputs to train and improve their models, and those inputs may include anything from personal anecdotes to proprietary business documents.

At the same time, cybercriminals are using generative AI to craft far more convincing phishing emails, voice clones, and impersonation attempts. The barrier to creating a credible scam has never been lower. And because many users treat AI-generated content as reliable by default, they are more likely to act on fraudulent requests that seem to come from a trusted AI assistant.

Why it matters for everyday users

For the average person, the risks fall into three categories:

  • Data collection and storage. Your conversations with an AI tool may be saved, analysed, and potentially included in future training sets. Even if you delete a chat, some services retain metadata or anonymised versions.
  • Account security. Many AI services rely on the same login credentials you use elsewhere. If your AI account is compromised, attackers can access your chat history and any personal information you shared.
  • Social engineering attacks. AI-generated messages are becoming indistinguishable from human-written ones. A fake “security alert” from your AI provider could trick you into handing over your password or clicking a malicious link.

These issues aren’t theoretical. Breaches at AI companies have already exposed user data, and the pace will only accelerate as more services emerge.

What readers can do: five practical steps

You can continue using AI tools without exposing yourself unnecessarily. Here’s how.

  1. Be selective about what you share. Treat anything you type into an AI chat like a public post. Avoid pasting full names, addresses, financial details, or passwords. If you need help drafting a sensitive document, use generic placeholders.

  2. Adjust your privacy settings. Most AI platforms have settings that let you limit data retention or opt out of model training. On ChatGPT, for example, you can disable “Improve the model for everyone.” On Copilot, Microsoft offers enterprise-grade privacy options for business users, though free accounts may not have the same protections. Check the settings menu of every tool you use.

  3. Use different passwords and enable two-factor authentication. Your AI account is only as secure as the credentials protecting it. Use a password manager to generate a unique, complex password for each service, and turn on two-factor authentication wherever it’s available.

  4. Stay sceptical of AI-generated messages. Not every output is accurate or safe. If an email claims to be from your AI provider and asks you to click a link or provide information, verify the request through an official channel. The same goes for any AI-generateed content that requests personal data – treat it as you would an unsolicited phone call.

  5. Delete old conversations. Many services allow you to clear your chat history manually or set it to auto-delete after a certain period. Make a habit of trimming your history at least once a month. For extra caution, use a temporary or incognito chat session when you don’t need the conversation saved.

These steps aren’t burdensome, and they don’t reduce the usefulness of AI tools. They simply build a basic layer of friction between your data and potential misuse.

Sources

  • World Economic Forum, Cutting Cyber Risk in an AI Era – and Data Privacy’s Role (June 2026). The report highlights that half of all companies now use AI and outlines the associated cybersecurity and privacy challenges.
  • Additional context draws on general cybersecurity best practices from consumer protection agencies and public reporting on AI-related incidents.

Last updated: June 2026.