How to Protect Your Data in the AI Era: Practical Steps Based on WEF Guidance

For anyone using AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini, the convenience comes with a side of risk that wasn’t as pressing a few years ago. The same systems that generate text, code, and images also collect data from your interactions, and attackers are finding new ways to exploit them.

The World Economic Forum published a report on June 15, 2026, laying out the main cyber risks tied to the rapid adoption of AI. According to the WEF, AI-related cyber incidents jumped by 30% in 2025 alone. That number should get your attention even if you’re not a security professional.

Here’s what the report says, why it matters to you, and a few concrete steps you can take right now to cut your risk without giving up the benefits.

What happened

The WEF report identifies three categories of risk that are particularly relevant to ordinary users:

  • Data leakage. AI models often retain the inputs they receive. If you paste sensitive information — a contract, a financial document, personal details — into a public chatbot, that data may end up used for training or, worse, exposed in a breach.
  • Model manipulation. Attackers can craft inputs (often called prompt injection) that trick an AI into bypassing its safety rules or revealing information it wasn’t supposed to share.
  • AI-powered attacks. Cybercriminals are using generative AI to write more convincing phishing emails, clone voices, and even create real-time deepfake video calls. The WEF notes that these attacks are harder to spot than traditional scams.

The report also highlights technical risks like data poisoning and model inversion, but for most consumers the big concern is how their personal data flows through these systems and how attackers can impersonate people they trust.

Why it matters

If you’ve ever asked a chatbot to draft a personal email, summarize a private document, or help with a password reset — you’ve already handed over data that could be valuable to someone else. A compromised AI account can, in theory, reveal your entire conversation history.

More immediately, AI-powered scams are getting common. The Federal Trade Commission and other agencies have warned about deepfake phone calls that sound exactly like a relative asking for money. A 2025 incident involved fraudsters using voice cloning to steal thousands from a family by pretending to be a child in distress. These attacks don’t need sophisticated hacking; they just need a short voice sample scraped from a social media video.

The WEF’s 30% increase in incidents suggests this is not a theoretical problem anymore.

What readers can do

You don’t need to stop using AI tools. But you can adopt a handful of habits that reduce your exposure.

1. Limit what you share with AI

Treat a chatbot conversation like a public chat room unless you know otherwise. Do not paste passwords, bank details, health records, or anything you wouldn’t want published. Most services let you delete your conversation history — use that regularly.

2. Disable training on your inputs

Many AI platforms give you the option to prevent your data from being used to train future models. This is often buried in the privacy settings. For ChatGPT, go to Settings → Data Controls → turn off “Improve the model for everyone.” For Copilot, check the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard. Do the same for any AI service you use.

3. Use separate, anonymized accounts

Consider creating a dedicated account for AI tools that doesn’t use your main email or real name. This limits the damage if the account is compromised. Some services require a phone number, which complicates this, but at least avoid logging in with your primary Google or Apple ID if possible.

4. Enable multi-factor authentication on everything

Most AI platforms now support MFA. Turn it on. Use an authenticator app rather than SMS when available, because SIM swapping remains a problem.

5. Keep software updated

Outdated browsers, plugins, and operating systems are a common entry point for attackers. Set updates to install automatically.

6. Learn to spot AI scams

  • Voice calls that sound like a friend or family member asking for money or gift cards — hang up and call them back on a known number.
  • Emails with perfect grammar but unnatural phrasing or urgency — AI can write well, but it can also be tricked into saying things that feel slightly off.
  • Deepfake video calls where the person’s movements or mouth sync don’t match — ask a question only the real person would know.

If you receive a suspicious request, verify through a separate channel.

7. Know what to do if your data or account is compromised

  • Change the password immediately and log out all active sessions.
  • If financial data was exposed, freeze your credit with the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion).
  • Report the incident to the platform’s security team and, if money was lost, to your local law enforcement and the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov).

Sources

  • World Economic Forum. Cutting cyber risk in an AI era – and data privacy’s role. Published June 15, 2026. (The primary source for the report findings and 30% increase figure.)
  • The report also references risks including prompt injection, data poisoning, and model inversion, which are documented in broader cybersecurity literature. For further reading, see the WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution publications and the FTC’s consumer alerts on AI scams.