AI marketing tools save a lot of time and effort—but they also introduce new security risks that most teams haven’t realized, much less prepared for.
This is exacerbated by the fact that most teams don’t start using AI with one big decision. It happens with members adding more and more AI tools for various tasks: ChatGPT for drafting copy here, an image generator there, a website plugin tomorrow.
Before a team knows it, there’s now a sprawling layer of tools with access to customer lists, ad accounts, and other important company data.
So before adding the next AI tool, or tinkering with the ones you already use, it’s worth taking a step back and working through a basic security checklist for these new programs. The good news? It doesn’t take a security degree, just an afternoon (or two).
Secure Accounts and Devices
If you haven’t already, make sure all your devices and accounts are secure first. AI tools—and of course also non-AI tools—are only as secure as the accounts and devices used to access them.
Do the following on every account and device, whether they’re used in the office, at home, or on the move:
- Turn on multi-factor authentication.
- Replace shared team logins with individual accounts so activity can be tracked and access revoked when needed.
- Regularly review and remove old connections between tools that are no longer needed.
- Use a password manager to generate and store unique credentials rather than relying on shared spreadsheets or reused passwords.
- Set up a passcode or biometric lock on every phone, tablet, and computer that can access company accounts.
- Keep operating systems, browsers, and applications updated with the latest security patches.
- Use device encryption whenever possible.
- Ensure company data can be remotely removed from lost or stolen devices.
- Use a VPN on iOS, PC, or Android devices when working remotely.
Finally, when someone leaves the company or changes roles, remove access to tools and data they no longer need.
Take Inventory of Every AI Tool Your Team Uses
Next, take note of every AI tool used by every member of your team. There is a good chance that the list is significantly longer than you might expect. Beyond those officially sanctioned by the organization, members likely use other tools: a browser extension that summarizes emails, a free image generator for social posts, and a chatbot one rep set up to draft replies faster.
This kind of unsanctioned use, often called shadow AI, has become three times more common in the last year and is one of the main drivers of data leakage inside companies.
The goal of this audit is not to punish anyone. Instead, it’s to form a complete picture of how data is facilitated with AI tools in your company. Only then can you act on it.
Vet Every Tool
With that list, it’s now time to delve into each tool. Look at each of them the way you'd look at a new hire who's about to get access to the customer database.
Then, ask the following critical questions:
- Is it used to train the vendor's models?
- How long is our data kept?
- Can it be deleted on request?
Reputable vendors will always have their data processing agreements, security pages, and information about support for GDPR or CCPA requests publicly available. They should make it clear where their data is hosted, how they store passwords, and how customer accounts stay isolated from one another.
Apply Least-Privilege Access
The principle of least privilege is one of the most important pillars of cybersecurity. The more data a tool has access to, the more openings for a breach.
However, too many AI marketing tools request far more access than they need—and teams grant them without a second thought, often clicking on the "allow all permissions" button when prompted.
Only give a tool access to the data it needs to do its job. For example, scheduling assistants don’t need full inbox access, and automated social media posting tools don’t need admin rights.
Treat Every Prompt Like It Could Be Read by a Stranger
Most marketing teams forget that giving AI prompts means giving the vendor data. Pasting a customer list into a tool to personalize emails or dropping a draft contract into a writing assistant for a tone check still ultimately sends sensitive information to a server outside the company's control.
The solution: have rules for what can or cannot be included in prompts. For example, you probably don’t want customer details, payment information, passwords, or anything covered by an NDA getting into the hands of third parties.
While that might mean team members need to get more creative with their prompts, it’s better than risking such data.
Put the Policy in Writing
In fact, you should have a written policy on everything related to AI use. IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that 63% of breached organizations either had no AI governance policy or were still developing one. This is the root of shadow AI and other human errors.
Even a document with just a few pages that names the approved tools, who can add new ones, what data each tool is allowed to touch, and who to contact when things go wrong can work wonders.
