WonkaChat is secure by design: your data is encrypted, isolated between organizations, and never used for AI training. These guidelines help you work effectively and professionally.
Using AI Effectively at Work
Get the most value from AI while maintaining quality and control.Scope Your Requests
- Good AI Tasks
- Tasks Needing Caution
Clear, specific objectives:
- Analyze this dataset and identify trends
- Draft a response to this customer inquiry
- Review this document for clarity and errors
- Generate test cases for this feature
- Summarize key points from this meeting
These focused requests help AI understand exactly what you need and make outputs easier to verify.
Think Before Executing
The main risk with AI isnât security, itâs accidentally doing something you canât undo.Understanding Irreversible Actions
What Can't Be Undone
What Can't Be Undone
Actions that permanently change or remove data:
- Deleting databases, production files, or user data
- Deploying code to production systems
- Sending emails or messages to customers
- Modifying live configurations
- Removing user accounts or permissions
Safe Activities
Safe Activities
Actions that can be reviewed or reversed:
- Drafting content (emails, documents, code)
- Analyzing data and generating insights
- Searching and retrieving information
- Creating test data or examples
- Generating documentation
These activities give you time to review and refine before anything goes live or impacts others.
Strategies for Critical Operations
When AI agents work with high-impact systems, implement safeguards to maintain control:Enable Safe Mode
Enable Safe Mode
Require approval before actions execute. Safe Mode pauses the agent and shows you exactly what it wants to do before proceeding.Best for: Production systems, customer communications, financial operations, deployment changes.
Test in Staging First
Test in Staging First
Run agents in non-production environments before deploying to live systems. Verify behavior with test data before working with real information. Use synthetic or anonymized test data whenever possible.Best for: New agents, complex workflows, or operations affecting multiple systems.
Break Into Steps
Break Into Steps
Divide large operations into smaller, reviewable chunks. Execute one step, verify the result, then proceed to the next.Best for: Multi-step processes, data migrations, or operations spanning multiple systems.
Restrict Tool Access
Restrict Tool Access
Remove tools that perform final actions (send, delete, deploy) and keep only preparation tools (draft, analyze, read). This reduces the chance of unintended actions and keeps agents focused on their purpose. Learn more about tool restriction.Best for: Agents that assist with decisions but shouldnât execute them autonomously.
Review Agent Access
Review Agent Access
Before connecting agents to your tools, review what data they can access through MCP connections.Best for: Ensuring least-privilege access and periodic access audits.
Environment Variables for Keys
Environment Variables for Keys
When sharing code with AI or committing examples, use environment variables instead of hardcoded API keys or credentials.Best for: Code shared in conversations, samples, and collaborative repositories.
Common Sense Guidelines
Basic principles for professional AI usage:Review Before Impact
Review Before Impact
Always review AI outputs before they affect others or production systems. Treat AI-generated content like work from a colleague, you need to verify it before it goes out.
Use Version Control
Use Version Control
For code changes, use Git or your version control system. Commit AI changes separately so you can track and revert if needed. This is good practice for any code changes, not just AI-generated.
Don't Request Illegal or Harmful Actions
Don't Request Illegal or Harmful Actions
Donât ask AI to help with illegal activities, create harmful content, or generate misinformation. This is about professional ethics and your organizationâs reputation, not platform security.
Verify Important Information
Verify Important Information
For critical decisions, verify AI-generated information from authoritative sources. AI is excellent for research and drafting but should augment your expertise, not replace it.
These guidelines arenât unique to AI, theyâre professional standards for any work tool. Use good judgment and review important outputs.
Quick Reference: Risk Assessment
When planning to use AI for a task, consider these factors:| Factor | Lower Risk â | Higher Risk â ď¸ |
|---|---|---|
| Reversibility | Drafts, analysis, suggestions | Production changes, deletions, sending communications |
| Scope of Impact | Personal work, test environments | Production systems, customer-facing, organization-wide |
| Review Opportunity | Results reviewed before use | Direct execution without human review |
| Data Permanence | Temporary data, easy to recreate | Critical data, difficult to recover |
For higher-risk tasks, use Safe Mode, restrict agent tools, or break the work into reviewable steps.
Smart Agent Configuration
Configure agents appropriately for their intended purpose.Purpose-Built Agents
Create agents optimized for specific tasks:
- Research agents: Read and analyze only
- Draft agents: Create content without sending
- Review agents: Provide feedback without making changes
Test Before Trusting
Before giving an agent autonomy:
- Test with Safe Mode enabled
- Review what tools it has access to
- Verify it behaves as expected
- Start with limited scope, expand if needed
The Bottom Line
WonkaChat provides enterprise security: encryption, isolation, and secure authentication protect your data, but you still need to focus on some key practices:- Think before executing â Review before deleting, deploying, or sending
- Scope appropriately â Give agents specific tasks with clear boundaries
- Use good judgment â Verify important information and maintain quality