There’s a new intern on your team. They’re sharp. They’re fast. They seem to know a little bit about everything. But they’ve only been here a few days. Would you hand them your client list? Your payroll data? Your CEO’s calendar? Probably not. So here’s the question every business owner needs to ask right now: If you wouldn’t give that information to your intern, why are you giving it to your AI?
Artificial Intelligence has become the office darling. It answers emails, drafts reports, summarizes meetings. But here’s what it doesn’t do: understand your business, your liabilities, your reputation, or your privacy expectations. It doesn’t know what’s sensitive. It doesn’t ask, “Are you sure you want me to see this?” It just takes what you give it and runs with it. And that’s where the risk begins.
Think about how you’d treat a real intern. You’d guide them. You’d limit what they see until they’ve earned your trust. You’d never hand them privileged documents or ask them to interpret complex legal questions. You’d ease them into the job. AI deserves the same caution. Yes, it’s smart. But it doesn’t know your internal politics. It doesn’t know your compliance obligations. And it certainly doesn’t know when you’ve just dropped something into a prompt that never should have left your control. The problem isn’t that AI is dangerous. The problem is that your team is treating it like it’s safe by default. That’s a dangerous assumption.
We’re not talking about science fiction here. This is about what your team is putting into AI tools today. Sales data. HR concerns. Financial spreadsheets. Internal meeting notes. And sometimes, without realizing it, sensitive information like employee identification numbers, customer records, or privileged correspondence. Most people assume AI tools are black boxes. Type in a question, get an answer, move on. But the truth is more complicated. Depending on the platform, your data may be stored. It may be used to train future models. It may be accessible to employees of the AI provider. Even in enterprise-grade environments, unless policies are clearly defined and boundaries are enforced, what’s meant to be private can become part of the system’s memory.
Now imagine someone uploaded a list of social security numbers to sort through. Would they do the same if the request came from the intern who just started this morning? They’d never even consider it. That’s the mindset we need to bring to AI. Not fear but discipline. Not avoidance but boundaries.
AI doesn’t know what matters most to your business. It doesn’t know which details are sensitive, which clients are high-risk, or which files are confidential. It doesn’t know the difference between a marketing draft and a signed legal agreement. And because it can’t tell the difference, it will treat them all the same unless you tell it otherwise. That’s why every employee needs to be trained to treat AI like an outsider. Because that’s what it is. You would never start a conversation with a new contractor by handing them privileged contracts and hoping they figure it out. You’d give them context. You’d clarify expectations. You’d explain what they’re seeing and why. AI deserves the same approach. If your team isn’t providing the right context and guardrails, they’re not just risking bad output—they’re risking a data leak that no one will notice until it’s too late.
Let’s pivot to something even more uncomfortable. Because the real threat isn’t just what your team is feeding AI—it’s what’s already lying around, unprotected, on your network. If you haven’t run a Level 1 penetration test in the past six months, there’s a good chance your systems are littered with data that doesn’t belong in open files, shared drives, or local folders. We’ve seen networks where old HR spreadsheets are saved on desktop machines. We’ve found tax records, credit card info, customer databases, and passwords saved in plain text. That’s not just messy. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
AI tools make it even riskier. Because now, the intern isn’t just walking around the office. They’re picking up anything that isn’t locked down. And unless your digital house is in order, AI may accidentally see things you never intended it to. It’s time to clean up.
Cyber hygiene is more than a checklist. It’s a business practice. It means keeping your network clean. Your data organized. Your permissions locked down. Your employees trained.
And now, it means setting AI usage boundaries that reflect the same principles you’d use with a brand-new hire. That includes creating clear policies around what types of data can be entered into AI tools. It means defining who can use these tools, for what purposes, and under what conditions. It means educating your team to never use AI as a dumping ground for problems they don’t understand—because AI will always give an answer, even if it’s wrong. More importantly, it means performing a Level 1 pen test to see what’s already exposed. Before someone accidentally feeds it to a chatbot.
If you’re in a client-facing business, there’s another layer of risk to consider. Your clients assume their data is secure. They assume your team is careful. And if something goes wrong, they’ll assume it’s your fault. Using the intern analogy is a powerful way to reset expectations with clients. It helps them understand that AI isn’t magic. It isn’t safe by default. And just like a new team member, it needs supervision. Use that analogy in your next check-in. Ask your clients how they’re using AI. Ask if they’ve trained their teams. Ask if they have data classification policies in place. Then offer to help. Because if you don’t, someone else will—and it might be after a breach.
This isn’t about saying no to AI. It’s about using it with the same care you’d use with a new intern. It’s about understanding that powerful tools still need boundaries. That fast answers don’t equal good decisions. And that the data you’re feeding your tools can come back to haunt you. If you treat your AI like an intern—coach it, guide it, limit its exposure, and keep sensitive materials far away. If you treat it like a seasoned executive who already knows everything, you’re gambling with your reputation. The choice is yours.
