Happy Friday the 13th. Fine, not technically on the calendar, but today is the 13th edition of this newsletter. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about privacy protections with AI. This week’s Thing of the Week is a simple list of three things you can do to protect your data, especially if you’re using AI for sensitive information. Then Meta’s new subscriptions, Apple’s new Siri plans and Oura’s new ring. Plus, a throwback to one cool-looking HP watch.
Let’s check out some data. Despite research showing AI doesn’t always provide the best medical insight, about a third of people are using chatbots for health information and advice, according to a survey from the nonprofit KFF. Meanwhile, 55% of respondents in a TD Bank survey reported using AI to help them make financial decisions.
In other words, people are increasingly turning to AI for some of the most sensitive parts of their lives: their health, money and personal decisions. You know, exactly the kind of information you wouldn’t want shared with the world—or at least used to train the next AI model.
Today’s newsletter is NOT a judgment on your choice to use these tools for sensitive stuff. Nor is it a deep dive into what could happen to that data once it’s in these systems. We’ll save that panic spiral for another day. Instead, after talking to a lot of people, I’ve realized there are some basic AI hygiene tips that many aren’t using. If you’re going to use AI for personal tasks, at the very least, make sure you’re doing these three simple things:
1) Turn on temporary chats or incognito mode. Use this whenever you’re sharing something sensitive with an AI chatbot. These chats don’t get saved to your chat history or memory, and they aren’t used to train the models. You start with a blank slate, meaning the AI won’t remember anything from your previous conversations.
In ChatGPT: Look for the Temporary Chat toggle in the upper-right corner of the app or website.
In Claude: Tap the little ghost icon in the upper-right corner.
In Gemini: Tap the pen icon in the upper-right corner.
At least it’s consistently in the same spot across the major apps! Use these modes for anything even a little bit sensitive: medical questions, financial questions, relationship issues, work concerns or anything else you wouldn’t want showing up in your chat history or being remembered in future conversations. The companies may hold on to information in these chats for a short period of time before deleting them.
2) Strip out personal info. Even in temporary chats, never share highly sensitive information. No Social Security numbers, bank account details, passwords or other personal identifiers. Share just what’s necessary. And if this level of personal data is somehow necessary to your query, that’s how you know you shouldn’t be asking it to a chatbot in the first place.
So if you’re uploading blood test results to figure out whether your cholesterol is really high (clearly not speaking from personal experience), a tax form or anything else with personal information, first crop it out or cover it with a black box. On a Mac, you can do this in Preview. On Windows, use the built-in Snipping Tool or Paint. On iPhone or Android, use the built-in Photos/Markup tools.
One extra step for the ultra-cautious: After redacting, take a screenshot of the document and upload that instead. This can help ensure you’re not accidentally sharing hidden metadata.
3) Opt out of model training. Even though the companies say temporary chats and incognito mode won’t be used to train future AI models, it’s still a good idea to turn off the setting that allows your regular chats to be used for training. Here’s where to find it:
ChatGPT: Settings → Data Controls → Improve the model for everyone → Off
Claude: Settings → Privacy → Help Improve Claude → Off
Gemini: Settings → Activity → Keep activity → Off
Am I saying this is foolproof protection? Nope. You’re still taking a risk by uploading private information to any AI chatbot. But follow these tips and at least you’ve put up something more substantial than a cardboard wall.
❤️ Loving today’s newsletter? ❤️ The tips above, the news recap, the awesome old watch below? Now imagine getting all that (and more!) twice a week. New Things paid subscribers get the full Wednesday edition, which includes my longer weekly column, more tips and soon big interviews.
Illustrations created by Bloomberg show what Siri will look like in iOS 27. Credit: Bloomberg
iOS 27 Siri Preview. It’s coming: the long-awaited Siri update. According to Bloomberg’s one and only Mark Gurman, Siri will live in a chatbot-style app, with new AI capabilities woven throughout Apple’s native apps and the web. Along with the report, Bloomberg released design mockups of the interface. Siri and the new AI tools will also take up residence in a new interface designed for the iPhone’s Dynamic Island, that horizontal blob at the top of the screen where your front-facing camera lives. Lots more to come on this at WWDC on June 8! I’ll be there in Cupertino to cover it all.
Meta Subscriptions. Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp are getting an upgrade—if you consider paying for them an upgrade. For $3.99 a month per app, users can now subscribe to a Plus tier to access features like super reactions, advanced Story insights and the ability to post without it appearing on the feed. All the more reason to snoop through someone’s profile. Meta also announced new AI subscription tiers for users, creators and businesses, which it will begin testing in the coming months.
Oura Ring 5. Oura, which recently filed confidentially for an IPO, just launched the fifth generation of its smart ring. The new model is 40% smaller than its predecessor. Oura Ring 5 will track the full range of advanced health metrics with a new focus on predictive health trends. I tested the previous generation last year and I'm already eyeing the upgrade, or downgrade if you’re talking about size.
Name: Richard Factor
What's your old thing? Hewlett-Packard HP-01
What year is your old thing from? 1977
Why do you love your old thing? This was the first LED calculator wristwatch. I was a big HP fan when they were the real HP of test equipment fame. I wore this for years while it was still “special.” When LED watches became common and cheap, I had it repristinated by HP, and kept it in its original box with accessories where it remains to this day.
Today’s newsletter was written and curated by Joanna Stern and Adele Lowitz. Enjoy the weekend! 🕶️
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