When you know how to fast, chatGPT and other chatbots, which are also known as AI chatbots, can be effective natural language equipment. Use ChatGPT to approach your weekly meal prep, plan meals, and even help you change your career.

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced user, I’m a fan, but I even know the limits of ChatGPT, and you should as well. Although it’s enjoyable to try new foods, learn a foreign language, or make travel plans, you don’t want to offer ChatGPT full petit in your life. It’s never great at all; in truth, it can be incredibly uninteresting at many things.

ChatGPT occasionally  hallucinates and passes information off as point, and it may not always had accurate data. Even when it’s absolutely wrong, it’s very confident. ( The same can be said, of course, about other generative AI tools. )

The higher the margins are, such as when  taxes, medical expenses, court deadlines, or bank amounts enter the discussion. Below are 11 cases where you should throw down the AI and choose another option if you’re confused about when turning to ChatGPT may be difficult. Use ChatGPT for the following things only.

( Disclosure: In April, CNET’s parent company, Ziff Davis, sued ChatGPT maker OpenAI, alleging that it violated Ziff Davis ‘ copyrights when it trained and ran its AI systems. )

1. diagnosing physical health problems

I’ve undoubtedly emailed ChatGPT my symptoms out of interest, but the responses you publish like nightmares to you. You might switch from dehydration and the virus to a particular cancer as you look through prospective diagnoses. I entered a tumor on my neck into ChatGPT with that information. It informed me that I might have cancers, lo and behold. Amazing! In truth, I have a lesion that is non-cancerous and occurs in one in every 1,000 persons. That was what my licensed physician told me.

I’m not saying there aren’t some beneficial health applications for ChatGPT&nbsp: it can help you write questions for your next appointment, convert medical terminology, and create a symptom schedule, so you can arrive prepared. And that might reduce the number of physician visits. AI is unable to buy labs or analyze you, and it is undoubtedly not covered by malpractice insurance. Understand its limitations.

2. Taking care of your emotional well-being

Sure, ChatGPT may provide wiring methods, but it didn’t pick up the phone when you’re really struggling with your mental heath. I am aware of the use of ChatGPT as a substitute doctor. As long as she kept its limitations in thinking, CNET’s Corin Cesaric found it to be somewhat useful for working through grief. However, as someone who has a very real, really human doctor, I can tell you that ChatGPT is still largely just a pale copy and very dangerous at best.

ChatpGPT has no capacity for true empathy, can’t read your body language or tone, and has no living experience. It can only be used to create it. A qualified therapist adheres to legal guidelines and professional standards to safeguard your rights. ChatGPT is not. Its advice you fail, ignore red flags, or unwittingly strengthen biases baked into its coaching data. Leave the more difficult, noisy, human work to a qualified individual with the necessary training to handle it. Choose ring 988 in the US or your nearby line if you or someone you love is in a crisis.

3. making decisions about security right away

Please don’t available ChatGPT and ask for it if you’re in real danger if your carbon monoxide alarms starts chiming. I’d come outside first, then pose questions. Big language models are unable to transport an emergency crew or smell gas. Every minute you spend typing is a second you don’t evacuate or dial 911 in a problems. ChatGPT is only function with the information you provide, and it might be too little or too soon in an emergency. Therefore, treat your robot as a post-accident explainer, not a primary responder.

4. getting personal financial or tax advice

ChatGPT you explain what an ETF is, but it is unable to identify your state tax category, filing status, assumptions, retirement objectives, or risk appetite. When you enter its education data, it might not be accurate for the current tax year or the most recent rate increases.

Friends of mine deposit their 1099 totals into ChatGPT for a DIY profit. Simply put, the robot can’t change a CPA who is emblem a mistake that may cost you thousands of dollars or get a hidden calculation worth a few hundred dollars. Visit a specialist, not AI, when actual money, filing deadlines, and IRS penalties are in question. Be aware that any information you give an AI robot will likely be included in its training information, including your income, Social Security number, and bank routing information.

5. dealing with sensitive or regulated files

As a software journalist, I get daily emails about embargoes, but I’ve always thought to toss any of these press releases into ChatGPT to get a conclusion or explanation. That’s because, if I did, the word would leave my handle and travel to a third-party server outside of the bounds of my nondisclosure agreement.

The same danger exists for customer contracts, health charts, and anything else that is covered by the GDPR, HIPAA, the California Consumer Privacy Act, or plain old trade-secret law. Your baby document, driver’s license, passport, and income taxes are affected. You can’t guarantee where sensitive information is stored once it’s in the fast window, who can review it privately, or whether it will be used to train new models. Additionally, ChatGPT is not immune to security risks and thieves. Don’t glue it into ChatGPT if you wouldn’t want to copy it into a common Slack network.

6. committing any improper behavior

This one is self-explanatory.

7. cheating on assignments

If I said I’ve not cheated on my examination, I’d been lying. I used my first-generation apple Touch in high school to access a few rambunctious equations in AP mathematics that I had trouble memorizing, a move I’m not especially proud of. However, with AI, the level of contemporary cheating makes that appear incredibly calm.

Turnitin and other AI-generated prose detection devices are improving every semester, and professors can already hear” ChatGPT voice” from a distance of a mile ( thanks for ruining my beloved em dash ). True risks include suspension, ejection, and losing your license. Use ChatGPT as a research companion, certainly as a writer, as it is recommended. If you let ChatGPT do the work for you, you’re even cheating yourself out of money on your knowledge.

8. breaking news and tracking data

Since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Search in late 2024 and made it available to everyone in February 2025, the robot can instantly retrieve updated web pages, stock quotes, gas prices, sports scores, and another real-time data with the help of interactive citations to evaluate the source. It won’t, however, continue to stream updates on its own. The best bet is always to refresh, so when speed matters, you can still use live data feeds, official press releases, news websites, push alerts, and streaming coverage.

9. Gambling

I had some luck with ChatGPT and a three-way parlay while competing in the NCAA men’s basketball championship, but I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone. I’ve seen ChatGPT stifle players, provide inaccurate data about player statistics, and report unreported injuries and win-loss statistics. I only cashed out because I double-checked every claim against real-time odds, and even then I was lucky. Don’t rely on ChatGPT to get you that win because they can’t see tomorrow’s box score.

10. creating a will or other legally binding contract

ChatGPT is fantastic for describing fundamental ideas. Ask away if you want to learn more about a revocable living trust. However, you’re rolling the dice when you request that it draft actual legal text. State and county-specific rules for estate and family law apply, so skipping a witness ‘ signature or omitting the notarization provision could have an impact on your entire document. Let ChatGPT create a checklist of questions for your attorney, and pay that attorney to turn it into a legal document.

11. creating art

Although this isn’t an objective truth, it’s just my own opinion, I don’t think AI should be employed to produce art. By no means am I opposed to artistic intelligence. I use ChatGPT to brainstorm new ideas and provide headline writing assistance, but it’s only for a brief period of time. Use ChatGPT without any restrictions, but please don’t create works of art that you later pass off as your own. It’s a little gross.