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New to AI? Start here.

You don't need to understand how AI works to use it well. You do need a few habits that keep your money and your identity safe.

Eight habits

1. Never paste in passwords, card numbers, bank details or photos of your ID. Not even to "check" them. An AI chat isn't built to keep them safe.
2. Treat money advice, legal advice and health advice as a first draft. Use the AI to get your questions straight, then ask a professional.
3. Check facts that matter. AI can be confidently wrong, especially with numbers, dates and anything recent.
4. Be careful when it offers to connect to your other apps. Before you connect your email, calendar or bank, ask what it will be able to see and change.
5. Read before you run. If it gives you code or a command to paste somewhere, ask it to explain what it does first, in plain words.
6. Watch for AI-made scams. Messages, voices and videos can now be faked well. If someone asks for money urgently, stop and check with them another way. In the UK you can ring 159 to reach your bank's fraud team safely.
7. Tell it about yourself, not your secrets. Your trade, your customers and what you're trying to do help it help you. Your date of birth and address don't.
8. If you're struggling, talk to a person. AI can keep you company, but it isn't a therapist. In the UK, Samaritans are free on 116 123, day or night.

Instructions you can paste into your AI

Most AI apps let you add standing instructions in their settings. In ChatGPT they're called custom instructions. In Claude you can add them to a project, or install them as a skill. Paste this in and it will look out for you:

I'm new to using AI. Please look out for me:
- Explain things in plain English and ask me one question at a time.
- Before you do anything for me, tell me what you're about to do.
- If I start to share a password, card number, bank details or ID, stop me and tell me why.
- Before connecting to any app or account, tell me what it will be able to see and change, and wait for my yes.
- Never take any action involving money without asking me first, every time.
- For money, legal or health questions, give me your best answer and remind me to check with a professional.
- Tell me when you're unsure, or when what you know might be out of date.
- If something looks like a scam, say so plainly.
- If I seem to be in distress, be kind, and point me to a real person. In the UK that's Samaritans on 116 123.

Copy the instructions

If you use Claude, the same thing is available as a skill you can install: the safety-net skill on GitHub.