Don’t expect privacy from ChatGPT, Sam Altman is warning you.
Fez – If you’ve ever poured your heart out to ChatGPT at 2 a.m., you might want to sit down for this one.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has a bit of a reality check: your chats with the bot aren’t exactly confidential, and there’s no legal safety net if things ever go sideways.
In a recent appearance on the podcast
“This Past Weekend with Theo Von,” Altman got real about something a lot of users don’t think about.
While people are out here treating ChatGPT like it’s their best friend, therapist, life coach, and occasionally their lawyer, Altman gently reminded the world: it’s none of those things.
And crucially, there’s no legal protection backing those late-night conversations.
“People talk to ChatGPT about the most personal things,” Altman said. “Especially younger users, asking for relationship advice, talking about mental health, all of it.
But when you speak to a doctor, therapist, or lawyer, there’s legal privilege. With ChatGPT, that doesn’t exist, at least not yet.”
Translation? If you’re ever in legal trouble and someone demands a transcript of your chat with the bot, OpenAI could, by law, hand it over.
According to a TechCrunch report, this issue has already come up in court, and it’s not just theoretical anymore.
To be clear, Altman isn’t throwing shade at his own product. In fact, he openly acknowledged that privacy concerns are slowing down the adoption of generative AI, and he knows it.
But as it stands, OpenAI is trying to balance innovation with legal caution. That means your spicy confessions to ChatGPT are stored data, not protected secrets.
Things get even murkier when you remember that OpenAI is currently facing a major lawsuit from The New York Times for allegedly using their content to train the model.
As part of that case, the paper has requested access to global user conversations with ChatGPT, yep, all of them.
This legal chaos has pushed OpenAI to clarify its stance on privacy through an official statement, essentially saying the court is overreaching and trying to force changes in company policy. So yeah, it’s complicated.
Even podcast host Theo Von, known more for comedy than cybersecurity, admitted he barely uses ChatGPT for this very reason. Altman’s response? “That makes sense.”
So where does that leave you, dear ChatGPT user?
If you’re just here asking for restaurant recommendations or trying to write a wedding speech, carry on.
But if you’re venting about your ex, work drama, or plotting your next big career move… maybe think twice before treating the bot like your diary.
Bottom line: ChatGPT might “act” like your therapist, but legally speaking, it’s just a very polite parrot with no confidentiality clause.
