Which Company Data Should Never Be Uploaded to Generative AI?
Classify data by sensitivity to clarify what needs anonymization, an enterprise account, or should never be uploaded at all.
What you'll learn
- Understand the four levels of data sensitivity.
- Know above which level public AI tools should not be used.
Step-by-step guide
The four sensitivity levels
L1 Public information → free to use. L2 General internal information → recommend using an enterprise AI plan. L3 Sensitive (customer lists, personal data, financials) → requires anonymization or should not be uploaded. L4 Confidential (unpublished contracts, sensitive financials, trade secrets) → never upload, especially not to public AI tools.
Common mistakes
Pasting an entire customer list into AI for analysis; dropping a full contract in to ask questions; handing an employee salary table to AI for sorting.
How to anonymize
Replace company names, personal names, amounts, and addresses with codes; keep only the fields needed for analysis; ask questions in batches.
Enterprise-level practices
Draft an 'AI usage policy' that clearly defines what's allowed, prohibited, and requires review; provide enterprise accounts and log usage.
Good example / Bad example
Replace the customer's name with 'Customer A' and remove the last 6 digits of any ID number before uploading.
Drag an Excel file straight into a public AI tool for analysis.
Common mistakes
- Assuming that removing names alone counts as anonymization.
Cautions
- Must comply with personal data protection laws, GDPR, or data-handling clauses in customer contracts.
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