Users still lack safe AI usage skills
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used for everyday tasks – from information search and text creation to document analysis. However, as its use grows, it is equally important to develop safe usage habits. To get the most accurate answer, people often provide more data than is actually needed to complete the task.
Read more This week in Palanga – an opportunity to see live how crosses and roadside shrines are made
A 2025 US study of conversational AI users revealed a striking paradox: 82% of respondents consider conversations with AI to be highly private, yet nearly half (47%) discuss health issues in them, and more than a third (35%) discuss personal finances.
According to V. Gurčinas, when using publicly available AI tools, it is important to assess what information we provide to them and whether it is truly necessary for the specific task.
“A simple rule – what you wouldn’t publish publicly should not be provided to an AI tool either. You can share ideas, learning materials, or texts from which personal information has been removed. However, personal codes, health or financial data, client information, internal work documents, or unpublished projects should not end up in publicly accessible AI tools. Passwords and access keys always have a strict ‘no’,” says V. Gurčinas.
According to the expert, in most cases, it is enough to anonymize the information to take advantage of AI capabilities. Names can be replaced with initials or letters, exact amounts can be given approximately, and company names can be replaced with generic terms. This way, the context of the task is preserved, but the risk of disclosing sensitive or confidential information is reduced.
The most important AI skill is critical evaluation
According to V. Gurčinas, responsible AI use starts with two simple habits: not trusting the technology with more information than necessary, and not accepting its answers as indisputable truth. These skills become the most important as artificial intelligence becomes an everyday work tool.
“Many people still mistakenly believe that the most important AI skill is the ability to write a good query. But the moment when a good query was a kind of superpower has passed. Today, it is increasingly important to be able to distinguish what is correct and what only sounds convincing. Artificial intelligence can provide an answer very confidently even when it is wrong, so human critical evaluation becomes more important than ever before,” says V. Gurčinas.
Read more After a deadly summer, the EU leader promises a new «heatwave plan»
