Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay, and it has quietly become part of nearly everything we do. ChatGPT processes 18 billion messages each week, while Google Photos stores over 9 trillion photos and videos.

Most people don’t realize that when they upload a photo into an AI photo editor, ask ChatGPT to polish an email, or let their phone organize their photos, all that data may be used for AI training.

Your pictures help train facial recognition and image generation technologies, and your Gmail messages may be processed by AI to learn how generate more authentic, human-like content.

AI gets smarter by learning from raw human input, but that intelligence comes at a price. The convenience it offers is worth weighing against the AI privacy trade-offs and the level of data collection that can feel more invasive than AI companies like to acknowledge.

Here are 10 uses of artificial intelligence in everyday life, from tools you knowingly use to systems quietly operating in the background. You can also find tips to protect your privacy while enjoying the benefits of AI.

5 common uses of AI in daily life

Here’s are some common examples of how to use AI in daily life — and the risks that come with them:

1. Writing assistant

Whether it’s work emails, school essays, or coming up with a witty Instagram caption, an AI assistant can help with composing and proofreading in seconds. However, every question, draft, and edit in your prompts and answers is stored in chat logs and may be processed for AI training, reviewed by human moderators, or used to target you with ads.

For example, OpenAI stores ChatGPT conversations for up to 30 days(新しいウィンドウ) and may use your chat information to train their models. If you’re not careful, that could mean exposing sensitive work or personal information to AI companies.

If you need help proofreading or fine-tuning emails, you can use Proton Scribe, our email writing assistant. Available as an opt-in add-on for Proton Mail, you can run Scribe on our servers (we don’t save logs) or locally on your device if you want to be certain sensitive information never leaves your computer.

For more complex tasks, including brainstorming ideas, researching, or uploading and analyzing sensitive files, you can use Lumo, our private AI assistant(新しいウィンドウ). Lumo doesn’t save logs, use your data for AI training, or shares your information with anyone.

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2. Document summaries

Summarizing content is one of AI’s most practical uses, from distilling long Reddit threads to simplifying web articles or condensing multi-page documents you upload.

However, as mentioned earlier, anything you write or share with an AI system (including confidential company files or copyrighted materials) may be stored and processed in ways you don’t necessarily agree with, so it’s important to use private AI that doesn’t depend on your data.

There’s also the risk of AI hallucinations, as summaries can omit context, misinterpret details, or introduce errors. Always verify the source material and double-check the output, especially when accuracy matters.

3. Image generation

AI image generators can produce custom photos in seconds, and there are countless such tools on websites and in mobile app stores. It’s fun and tempting to transform your or your kids’ photos, but there are serious privacy and ethical risks beneath the surface — especially when your family photos include children or adults who never consented to having their images processed by AI.

There’s also an ongoing copyright battle over how these systems are trained. In early 2023, over 4,700 visual artists(新しいウィンドウ) filed a class-action lawsuit against companies behind popular image generators like Midjourney, and Stability AI, alleging their work was used without permission to train AI models and generate derivative images in their styles. US courts have allowed key copyright claims in this case to proceed.

More troubling, in late 2025, Elon Musk’s Grok AI was reported to generate sexualized images of women and minors in response to simple user prompts on X. This triggered regulatory investigations into its safety controls, and led at least Malaysia and Indonesia to block access to the platform(新しいウィンドウ).

4. Health information checker

The ability of AI chatbots toexplain complex topics clearly, maintain long conversations, and respond in an encouraging, often sycophantic tone has led people to turn to them for health advice.

But asking AI about symptoms, medications, or lifestyle choices means sharing highly sensitive medical information with platforms that are not supervised by healthcare professionals or bound by medical privacy laws. Beyond privacy concerns, there is also a real risk of harm, as AI-generated health information can be misleading or outright dangerous.

For example, Google has removed some of its AI-generated health summaries after reports found they provided unsafe medical guidance, including incorrect interpretations of blood tests(新しいウィンドウ). In another documented case, a man followed ChatGPT’s advice(新しいウィンドウ) to replace table salt with sodium bromide, which led to poisoning and symptoms of psychosis.

5. Job applications

Tailoring a resume for each job application can be time-consuming and draining, but AI tools now automate the process by generating role-specific versions in seconds.

Using these tools, however, often requires uploading detailed professional information, including work history, career goals, and salary expectations. Some AI resume platforms, such as LinkedIn, may store this data or reuse it to improve their systems, allowing them to build detailed professional profiles tied to your identity. Even when data is labeled as “de-identified,” it can often be re-identified and linked back to you.

5 hidden uses of AI in daily life

Here are some hidden ways in which AI runs quietly in the background, collecting data and learning about you:

1. Social media algorithms

Social media platforms are designed to keep you on the app. Their algorithms analyze every like, share, and search to curate your feed and use that data to build a profile of your interests, relationships, and even mood.

These profiles help them to understand you, serving you with posts that keep you engaged – and, ultimately, with personalized ads. It’s how your five-minute scroll suddenly becomes an hour long. Additionally, companies like Meta use your posts and photos to train their AI models, often burying this detail in terms most users never read.

2. Photo organization

Your phone’s gallery intelligently groups photos into albums and “memories” using facial recognition and location information. This AI-powered feature quietly builds detailed maps of where you’ve been and your social circles. 

For example, when you upload photos to Google Photos, the app automatically groups images of the same person using facial recognition, even if you never tagged them. Over time, this allows Google to build a visual profile of that person, which can sync across your devices and services, enabling you to search for them by name or have them recognized in new photos automatically. That person may have never used Google, yet they now effectively have a shadow profile.

Many of us rely on navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze. While undeniably useful, these services continuously track location patterns to make recommendations such as faster routes and nearby businesses. You may have even received traffic notifications around the same time each day you finish work, powered by AI.

All of this location data helps AI systems make navigation easy, but it also allow companies to build detailed profiles of your routines, like where you go, when you go there, and how often. In some cases, such as with Waze, this information may be shared with third-party services(新しいウィンドウ) and processed under their own privacy policies.

Google has also historically stored user geolocation data in a centralized database known as Sensorvault, which it uses for targeted ads and, in certain cases, to help law enforcement(新しいウィンドウ).

4. Predictive text

Predictive text once stopped at guessing the next word, but today it draws on powerful AI models trained on patterns in how you type to suggest rewrites and tone changes. With tools like Gemini and Apple Intelligence integrated into mobile keyboards by default, your phone continuously processes what you type and learns your writing habits, including context and patterns that can be highly personal.

Even well-known keyboards like Gboard, which use privacy-preserving techniques such as on-device processing or federated learning, are not risk-free — research(新しいウィンドウ) shows that your typing data can be reconstructed.

5. Streaming recommendations

Netflix, Spotify, and other services analyze your streaming habits to understand your schedules and interests. If you’ve ever wondered why the cover photo of a show differs on your account from a friend’s, that’s AI at work, testing which visuals are most likely to capture your attention.

These systems personalize your feed and recommendations based on detailed behavioral profiles. While not all streaming platforms show ads, the data they collect can still be used for internal optimization, shared with partners, or combined with advertising data on ad-supported tiers, turning your viewing and listening habits into another data point for targeted marketing.

How to protect your privacy when using AI

Here’s how to protect yourself when using AI:

Use a private AI assistant

You don’t have to give up AI entirely to protect your privacy, but your data shouldn’t be treated as a bargaining chip. That’s why tools like Lumo, our private AI assistant(新しいウィンドウ), are designed to work without turning your information into training material.

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Check the privacy policy

Read the platform’s privacy policy and terms to understand whether your inputs are stored, reviewed by humans, or used to train AI models. These policies can change frequently and are sometimes updated with limited transparency, buried in in-app settings, or implemented without clear, explicit consent.

Opt out of AI training

Some platforms allow you to opt out of having your data used for AI training, in account settings or privacy controls. If this option exists, enable it. But keep in mind that opt-out settings may be reset, renamed, or moved over time, so it’s worth checking periodically.

Find out how to limit Meta’s use of your data for AI training, how to turn off Gemini on Android or in Gmail, and how to opt out of LinkedIn’s AI training.

Anonymize details when prompting

Before submitting a prompt to a large language model (LLM), remove or replace names, company details, specific locations, and other identifiable information with generic placeholders. It’s a simple trick to limit sensitive context tied to your AI interactions while keeping the output useful.

Avoid uploading identifiable personal data

When possible, remove names, faces, email addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying details. For images, avoid uploading photos of children or other people who haven’t consented, and strip metadata like location and timestamps before sharing.

Separate identities when possible

Use different accounts, emails, or workspaces for personal and professional AI use. It’s easier to do this using aliases, which let you create separate identities without juggling multiple inboxes.

You can also use a VPN(新しいウィンドウ) to reduce how your activity is linked to your IP address or physical location. While a VPN won’t make you anonymous or prevent platforms from identifying you once you’re logged in, it can limit passive tracking and make it harder to connect your AI activity across services.

Disable unused AI-powered features

Turning off AI-powered features you don’t need can reduce how much of your data is analyzed, stored, or shared. For example, if you don’t want Meta AI accessing your camera roll to create AI-generated collages or recaps on Facebook, you can disable this in app settings.

Big Tech wants you to believe that the privacy trade-offs for the convenience of AI are unavoidable; that’s simply not true. By understanding how these tools collect and use your data, opting out where you can, and choosing privacy-first alternatives, your privacy doesn’t have to suffer.