Sam Altman Warns of Privacy Risks When Using ChatGPT as a Therapist
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned that ChatGPT lacks legal confidentiality protections comparable to doctor-patient or lawyer-client privilege, creating privacy risks for users seeking therapeutic support. Altman noted that young people increasingly use ChatGPT as a therapist, but conversations are not legally protected and could be disclosed in litigation.
What happened
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated on a podcast that ChatGPT users who seek therapeutic or emotional support have no legal confidentiality protections for their conversations.
Altman said that young people especially use ChatGPT as a therapist or life coach, but conversations lack the doctor-patient confidentiality, legal privilege, or lawyer-client confidentiality that apply to human professionals.
Altman noted that OpenAI would be legally required to disclose conversations with ChatGPT in lawsuits, and that no legal or policy framework currently protects such conversations.
Reported impact
Users who share personal problems or sensitive information with ChatGPT face potential privacy exposure in legal proceedings.
The lack of confidentiality could limit broader user adoption of ChatGPT for therapeutic purposes, according to Altman.
Index analysis
Altman acknowledged the absence of legal protections is 'very screwed up' and stated that conversations with AI should have the same privacy concept as conversations with a therapist.
OpenAI has been fighting a court order in a lawsuit with The New York Times that would require the company to save chats of hundreds of millions of ChatGPT users globally.
Governance controls
No formal legal or policy framework currently exists to protect user privacy in conversations with ChatGPT used for therapeutic purposes.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.