Library, checklist
Before you pick an AI tool
Ten plain questions on whether an AI tool or plan serves you.
There are a lot of AI tools, and the right one depends on what you do. This list doesn't recommend any. It gives you ten questions to put to whichever tool or plan you're considering, including the one you already use. Look for the answers in its settings, its help pages and its terms.
The ten questions
Ticks aren't saved anywhere.
If a company can't answer these plainly, that is an answer too.
Below are the privacy policy and terms of use for an AI tool I'm considering. For each question, quote the exact sentence that answers it, or write NOT ANSWERED: 1. Is what I type used to train models by default? How do I turn that off? 2. Do they use "anonymised", "aggregated" or "to improve our services" wording, and what does it allow? 3. Can staff review my chats, and when? 4. How long is my data kept, and can I delete it? 5. Can I export my data? 6. What happens to my data if the company is sold? Don't summarise or reassure. Quotes only, plus NOT ANSWERED where it applies. [paste the policy and terms]
Then check two or three of the quotes against the policy yourself. The Catch the made-up quote test takes a minute.
Worked example
Omar, a self-employed bookkeeper, is choosing an assistant to help draft client emails. He runs the ten questions on two tools. One has training switched on by default with the switch buried three menus down; he turns it off and notes the date. The other has no export at all, which matters because he wants to keep his templates. He picks the first, keeps his templates in his own documents, and still swaps client names before pasting.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a paid plan means your data isn't used for training. Check the setting.
- Reading the marketing page instead of the terms.
- Building months of instructions inside one tool with no copy anywhere else.
- Judging a tool on the demo instead of your own work.
- Treating this list as legal advice. For client, patient or regulated data, ask your lawyer or compliance contact.
No sign-up, and this page sends nothing you do anywhere. General information, not legal advice.
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