Would you share your internet history publicly? Of course you wouldn’t. Even your non-personal searches are yours. How about relying on an untrained robot to provide therapy attuned to your unique psyche? Also a hard no. But ChatGPT has done something more powerful than any of its AI predecessors could ever achieve – it’s built trust!

ChatGPT is an effective, time-saving tool for a range of professional and recreational tasks – but it’s not ready to be your trusted confidant and nowhere near as private as many have been led to believe.  

So, before you go pouring your personal information into that search bar, learn about the latest revelations and warnings about your ‘friendly’ neighbourhood generative AI tool.

It’s about trust

Some of us have been using ChatGPT for years now, and we could all see its flaws in the beginning. Even the more basic requests would often present glaring errors. But in true AI fashion, it learnt, it evolved, and many of the big potholes in its generative capabilities were filled. Fast-forward to today, and ChatGPT is a new beast altogether – capable of producing more accurate, detailed outputs to more complex requests. 

This built trust, and that’s where the problem lies. ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are still a long way from perfect and can’t be relied on fully. But when people have enough good experiences with its output, this reinforces and reaffirms a level of trust that doesn’t correlate to its actual ability. And this false sense of security has left thousands exposed…  

Be careful what you search for

It’s recently been revealed that thousands of private ChatGPT conversations have shown up in Google search results. A "Share" feature in ChatGPT allows users to generate a link to share conversations. Little did we know that these links were publicly indexed by search engines leading to accidental exposure. OpenAI has since disabled this feature and is working on removing publicly indexed content, but the damage has already been done.

Beyond the obvious risk of data breaches and unauthorised access, your conversations are also stored on ChatGPT servers which human AI trainers can access and review. You can opt out of having your chats used for training purposes – and if you don’t want anyone else reading them, you probably should. Yet it’s still recommended that you don’t share any sensitive, personal information that you wouldn’t want other people to see. Despite ChatGPT’s advanced capabilities, it’s still finding its feet as a maturing tool.

It’s not a private therapist

More and more people are using ChatGPT for therapy because of its ability to provide non-judgmental, instant, and free responses. This forced OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to interject with a public warning saying, “While chats with real therapists, doctors and lawyers are protected by legal rules, the same is not true for talks with chatbots, at least for now.”

There are two key risks here. Firstly, AI systems lack the contextual understanding that humans possess, making them more susceptible to accidental disclosure of sensitive content. Secondly, there has been various research that suggests AI therapist chatbots – ChatGPT or otherwise – aren’t ready to handle the responsibility of being a counsellor and can actually contribute to harmful mental health stigmas.

Take obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), for example. While ChatGPT isn’t inherently dangerous as a tool, it can unintentionally reinforce OCD compulsions like reassurance-seeking and encourage harmful behaviours. While AI can be used safely to reduce anxiety, it can’t tolerate uncertainty and must be paired with self-awareness, boundaries, and human-guided treatment.

Rules of engagement

So, what’s the key takeaway here? “Don't type anything into ChatGPT that you wouldn't share publicly online” just about covers it! But more specifically, our advice is to not share any of the following with an AI chatbot or company that isn’t verified and trusted – like your bank provider:

  • Personally identifiable information
  • Financial and banking information
  • Passwords and login credentials
  • Private or confidential information
  • Proprietary or intellectual property

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