Episode 70: Romantic AI Chatbots and Privacy

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Ever since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated the news.


AI is bringing a level of realism and human-like behavior to technology that just two years ago would have been considered unthinkable.


But AI is also introducing new data privacy concerns.


In this episode of Privacy Files, we examine the rising phenomenon of romantic AI chatbots and what these applications are doing with your personal data.


Colin from Anonyome Lab’s Security & Compliance team joined Rich to discuss the findings of the Mozilla Foundation’s review of 11 romantic AI chatbots. Each one received Mozilla’s notorious warning label “Privacy Not Included.”


Only one of the chatbot apps confirmed in their privacy policy that they don’t share or sell personal data.


Half of the chatbots reviewed won’t even allow you to delete your personal data.
64% of the apps were not clear about encryption technology and whether or not they employ it.


Overall, it’s an interesting look into yet another AI-spawned industry where the security of personal data might not be a top priority.


Links Referenced:
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/happy-valentines-day-romantic-ai-chatbots-dont-have-your-privacy-at-heart/
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67012224
https://www.reuters.com/technology/what-happens-when-your-ai-chatbot-stops-loving-you-back-2023-03-18/
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkadgm/man-dies-by-suicide-after-talking-with-ai-chatbot-widow-says

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