Responsible use
Gemini can be wrong in a confident voice
This module sits beside the whole course. Important decisions need a person who is accountable, and often a qualified professional. The model does not take the blame.
Hallucinations
A hallucination is a fluent answer that is false or unsupported. It is not a rare glitch you can ignore once you are "good at prompts". Names, dates, prices, laws, quotes, and citations fail often enough that you should assume they need a check when they matter.
A verification routine
Mark every number, name, date, quote, and rule. Ask Gemini which of those claims came only from your paste, and which it added. Then open a source yourself. If the task is a contract, a diagnosis, a tax position, or a safety call, the chat is a draft for a qualified person, not the decision.
Privacy
Do not paste passwords, API keys, health records, government ID numbers, unpublished financials, or client secrets. Blur them in screenshots. Consumer Gemini settings and Google Workspace admin settings are different. As of late 2026, Workspace help pages said customer content is not used to train models and is not reviewed by humans for that purpose. Consumer controls differ. Check the current privacy page before you rely on that sentence.
Copyright and voice
You are responsible for what you publish. Do not ask the model to reproduce a living writer's voice in order to imitate them, and do not paste paywalled material you have no right to upload. If a school or employer requires disclosure of AI help, follow that rule.
Bias and missing people
Models repeat patterns from their training, including unfair ones. When a persona, a hiring note, or a policy draft appears, ask who is missing, who is stereotyped, and what evidence you actually collected. A smooth persona built from nothing is not insight.
When not to trust it
Emergencies. Live prices, laws, and medical doses. Exam cheating. Anything you cannot explain if someone asks "why is this true?". A long chat that started from a wrong assumption. An answer that flatters you and adds no constraint you can test.
Spot the claim
Select every part that should be rejected or verified before anyone acts. Then reveal the note.
A fluent market claim
Specialty coffee shops in your city grew 37% last year, and the average ticket is $18.40 according to the National Cafe Bureau. You should add lunch immediately.
A summary that contradicts the paste
You pasted: 'Refunds are reviewed within 14 days and are not guaranteed.' The reply says: 'Your policy guarantees a full refund within 24 hours. Tell the customer that.'
A helpful-looking request for a secret
Paste your Stripe secret key and the customer's full card number so I can test the refund. I will also draft the email.