What Not to Paste Into an AI Tool: Members' and Volunteers' Details

Keep out anything that could point to a real person. That's the short rule. Names, phone numbers, addresses and health details stay in your own records. So do family matters and anything told in confidence.

What the regulator says

Australia's privacy regulator is the OAIC. As good practice, it says organisations shouldn't type personal information into public AI chatbots, least of all the sensitive kind.¹ That's guidance on one kind of tool. It isn't a country-by-country rulebook.

The OAIC also draws a line inside personal information. "Sensitive" details are one subset, and they usually get stronger protection.¹ Religious or philosophical beliefs are among its examples.¹ For a church group, that deserves a pause, since a list of who attends which service may say something about belief.

One more point from the regulator: information can be personal information whether or not it is true.¹ So a made-up or wrong detail about a real, named person is still personal information.

What to keep out

These are no-go for a chat tool at a church or community group:

• The member list, the phone tree, or the "to" line of a group email.
• Notes about illness, disability or who needs a hand up the steps.
• Bereavements, money troubles, court or police matters.
• Names, photos and pick-up arrangements for children.
• The reason a volunteer can't do their rostered shift.
• A complaint about someone by name.
• Door codes, bank details and logins.
• Minutes of closed or confidential items.

Swap the people for words

Write "the treasurer", "a helper" or "the enquirer" where a name would go. Put [name] where a real one is needed, and fill it in yourself afterwards. Describe the job, not the record. The draft will usually come out just as useful.

Where your text goes

When you type into a chat tool, the maker's service handles it. What happens next depends on the maker's settings, and those change.

Here's one example, from OpenAI's help page as read on 7 November 2026. On a personal account with one of its paid or free consumer plans, the "share my chats" option begins as on.² Turning that option off won't remove chats you've already saved.² Even a temporary chat may be held for as long as 30 days for safety.²

Other makers use their own words and defaults. Read the data page for your tool, and note the date you read it.

Does the privacy law cover your group?

That depends on the country, the kind of group and the money it handles. Take Australia. The OAIC says the Privacy Act 1988 leaves out most small businesses, though a few are caught.³ Its cut-off for "small" is a yearly turnover of $3 million or under.³ The cut-off is written for businesses, so a club or church group should ask how the rules apply to it.

Don't let this site, or a chat tool, make that call. In Australia, start with the OAIC. In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the place to read. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission publishes business guidance, and your state may add its own rules. Your umbrella body or an adviser can help too.

One page for the committee

Agree on a few lines saying what may go into a chat tool, and who to ask when unsure. Pin it up where volunteers will see it. If you're unsure, leave it out.

Some jobs work well with no personal details at all. Roster messages are one, and the opening overview lists others.