Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has cautioned that users may be oversharing personal information with ChatGPT without understanding the lack of legal safeguards. He highlighted that conversations with AI tools don’t currently enjoy the same confidentiality as those with licensed professionals.

“People talk about deeply personal things — like relationship problems — with ChatGPT,” Altman said during a recent podcast. “But there’s no legal privilege attached to that.” Unlike discussions with doctors or therapists, these AI interactions could be disclosed in court.

Altman expressed concern that this legal gap might undermine user trust and adoption. He also mentioned OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to challenge a court order in its legal dispute with The New York Times, which would force the company to retain user chats globally.

The order excludes enterprise users, but if upheld, could lead to broader data demands in future litigation. OpenAI has labeled the court’s position as a threat to digital privacy.