OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that personal conversations conducted through the AI application ChatGPT do not have legal privacy protections. Altman stated that, unlike conversations with a doctor or lawyer, sensitive information shared with the AI is not legally protected.

Critical statement from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on ChatGPT

Sam Altman appeared on the podcast “This Past Weekend with Theo Von” and made some noteworthy statements about ChatGPT. When asked about the relationship between AI and the current legal system, Altman stated that the lack of legal privacy for user conversations is a key problem.

The successful CEO stated that people, especially young people, use ChatGPT as therapists or life coaches, sharing even the most private matters, such as relationship issues, with the AI tool. Altman said, “Currently, when you discuss these issues with a therapist, lawyer, or doctor, there is a legal privilege, doctor-patient confidentiality. But we haven’t yet figured out what to do in the scenario where you’re talking with ChatGPT.”

Altman added that this could pose a privacy issue for users, especially during a lawsuit, noting that OpenAI would be obligated to submit these conversations to the courts under current law. The CEO said, “I think this is a very strange situation. We should have the same privacy principles for conversations with AI as we would with a therapist, and no one even considered that a year ago.”