Mel Robbins Wants You to Upload Your Financial Documents to AI- Here's Why That's a Terrible Idea
Mel Robbins' advice isn't always wise to take. Recently, the best-selling author and podcast host told women to upload their financial information to AI, a move that cybersecurity experts say isn't worth the risk.
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The IG Post
In the now viral Instagram post, Robbins shows a paper copy of a Harvard study that states women are 40% less likely to adopt AI. She warns that many women aren't keeping pace with the controversial technology and advocates using two prompts to help them take control of their finances.
"You have to lean in," Robbins says enthusiastically as she talks to women, especially women over the age of 55. She notes a comment from a woman named Patricia who says AI makes her uneasy, but she doesn't want to get left behind.
Drawbacks of AI
While AI can automate workflows and make organization easier, it has significant drawbacks that may leave you open to fraud and identity theft.
AI Chatbots are not end-to-end encrypted, and they use the data you input to continue to train their AI models. If you upload your bank statements and credit card information, as Robbins suggested, then you're showing your very personal and private banking information to a system that can be viewed by actual humans.
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Backlash
Many commenters were horrified by Robbins' advice. The comments section of the May 1st post contains significant backlash, with many questioning Robbins' advice. One commenter, a New York Times best-selling author and digital anthropologist with the IG handle foushy, even pointed out that it violates EU privacy rules.
The Problems With AI
In addition to the privacy issues, AI isn't always right. AI is trained by scouring the internet and analyzing billions and trillions of data points. Data points can include your uncle's Facebook post, countless Reddit threads, and comments across other social media platforms. All of this information is subjective and unverified, leaving AI chatbots with potentially skewed perspectives.
AI takes the entirety of published human thought, including legally protected work, and creates an amalgamation to give you answers to the prompts you're uploading. In theory, it's an amazing tool for analyzing our collective knowledge and distilling it into personalized answers.
In reality, AI can be very damaging to your financial and emotional health. It's also extremely damaging to the environment, contributing to water shortages and rising energy costs for everyday consumers nationwide.
If you do want to use AI to help with your finances, experts suggest redacting ALL identifying information, including account numbers, Social Security numbers, and personal data that could lead to fraud or identity theft. Robbins noted in the post's comments that she should have been more careful with the information she provided.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:39 AM.