What not to paste into an AI chat, and what to do if you already did

Can AI chats leak?

They can, and this week showed how. On Thursday, November 12, 2026, Notion said a breach at Fireworks AI, a company it used to run AI models for one feature, exposed Notion AI chat transcripts from fewer than 1% of workspaces. Notion's own systems weren't breached. The chats leaked from a vendor's system instead, and Notion is telling affected customers to "treat this data as if it were exposed." The full story on the Notion AI breach has the timeline.

Most people picture an AI chat as a private conversation between them and one app. In practice, the words you type can pass through a chain of companies that host models, store logs or analyze usage. Each link in that chain is one more place your data can be stolen from. Mark Holloway put it plainly on X: "Your AI vendor's vendors sit in your data path too" (@0xKetone).

What should you never paste into ChatGPT, Notion AI or any chatbot?

Sort what you share into three groups before you hit enter.

An API key is a long password that lets one app use your account on another service, so a stolen key can run up a bill in your name. TechCrunch reports the Fireworks attackers appear to want exactly that: stolen access to AI models they can resell.

The middle column is a judgment call. If your tool is a work plan with clear data rules, sharing client details may be part of the job. Even then, swap real names for placeholders like "Client A" when the task doesn't need them.

Your chat box isn't a safe, so don't keep anything in it you'd hate to see on a stranger's screen.

I pasted my password or API key into an AI chat. What now?

You're in good company. "I pasted my api key on ChatGPT" is a real thread title on r/ChatGPT, and people ask the same thing about passwords. The fix is the same whether or not a breach ever happens:

1. Rotate it. Create a new key or password, switch your apps over, then delete or revoke the old one. Revoking means turning it off so it stops working.
2. Check for use you didn't make. Look at the billing page or login history for the service the key belonged to.
3. Turn on two-step login for any account whose password went into a chat.
4. Delete the chat if your AI tool lets you, so the secret isn't sitting in your history.

Notion did some of this for affected customers already. It revoked exposed Notion API keys it found in their chats on November 11 and reported other companies' exposed keys to those companies the next day. You should still rotate your own, because only you know everything you pasted.

How do I check where my AI tool sends my data?

Most work apps now have AI features, and many run on models from other companies. Three quick checks:

• Read the AI section of the privacy or security page. Look for a list of "subprocessors," the outside companies that handle your data for the app.
• Look for a data retention line. This says how long your chats are kept, and whether vendors can keep them.
• Ask support directly. A short email works: "Which outside AI companies process our chats, and what do they keep?" A good vendor answers in plain words.

If you have a team, write a one-line rule and share it: no secrets in AI chats, ever. It takes a minute and prevents the most common mistake.

Does the same habit help with AI shopping?

Yes. A study reported this week found ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity sometimes sent shoppers to fake or risky stores. The habit is the same one: don't trust what the chatbot hands you with your money or your logins. Check the store's address yourself before you pay, and keep the chat for ideas. Our Practical View from Wednesday covers locking down AI API keys in more depth.