By Muhammad Sal
OpenAI boss, Sam Altman, has told users not to expect privacy protection if they share sensitive secrets with ChatGPT or any chatbots – it could all end up in court.
Altman made the comments while speaking on a recent podcast of ‘This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von’ shared on YouTube, reportedly at OpenAI’s San Francisco office – saying many young people use ChatGPT to “talk about the most personal shit” like a therapist or life coach, asking for advice on relationships and personal struggles. But unlike real therapists, doctors, or lawyers, the conversations aren’t legally protected.
If a lawsuit or police investigation digs into you, OpenAI might have to hand over what you said to the chatbot.
“We haven’t figured that out yet for ChatGPT,” Altman said. “If you go talk to ChatGPT about your most sensitive stuff and then there’s like a lawsuit or whatever, we could be required to produce that. And I think that’s very screwed up,” he added.
He believes chatbots should offer the same privacy as a human therapist, but for now, that’s not the law.
The warning comes at a time when more Nigerians and young people around the world are turning to AI tools for advice, not just schoolwork or business. Altman also admitted that even deleted conversations might sometimes be recovered for legal or security reasons.
He urged users to think twice before sharing private matters with AI chatbots until the law is clear. “I think it makes sense to really want the privacy clarity before you use it a lot like the legal clarity,” Altman explained.
For now, anyone using ChatGPT for personal support should know: what you tell the bot isn’t fully private… Including Nigerians.
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