In one sentence: A prompt is what you type or say to an AI tool to tell it what you want.
Why it matters: The company running the AI can see your prompts, and may store them and use them for its service. Do not put sensitive information in a public AI tool, or anything that would cause problems if it became public.
One thing to do: Before you send a prompt, remove names, addresses, account numbers and passwords.
Related terms: chatbot, generative AI, data retention
Checked: 25 Oct 2026.
