OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Warns ChatGPT Conversations Aren’t Legally Confidential

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a cautionary message about the legal status of conversations with ChatGPT, warning that they are not protected by confidentiality laws and could be used as evidence in court.

Speaking on the This Past Weekend podcast hosted by American comedian Theo Von, Altman expressed concern over the sensitive nature of the things users often share with the AI chatbot, especially younger users who treat it like a therapist or life coach.

“People talk about the most personal shit in their lives to ChatGPT,” he said. “Young people especially use it as a therapist, a life coach, having these relationship problems and asking, ‘What should I do?’”

Altman explained that, unlike discussions with lawyers, doctors, or therapists—which are protected by legal privileges—interactions with ChatGPT do not currently fall under any recognized legal framework for confidentiality.

“If you talk to a therapist or a lawyer or a doctor about those problems, there’s legal privilege for it,” he said. “We haven’t figured that out yet for when you talk to ChatGPT.”

He warned that this legal gap poses a serious risk in situations involving lawsuits or investigations.

“If you go talk to ChatGPT about the most sensitive stuff and then there’s a lawsuit or whatever, we could be required to produce that,” he explained. “If someone confides their most personal issues to ChatGPT, and that ends up in legal proceedings, we could be compelled to hand that over. And that’s a real problem.”

Calling the situation “very screwed up,” Altman stressed the urgent need to develop privacy protections for AI interactions that mirror those in place for traditional confidential services.

“I think we should have the same concept of privacy for your conversations with AI that we do with a therapist or whatever. And no one had to think about that even a year ago,” he said.

Altman’s remarks come amid intensifying global debate around AI ethics, data privacy, and the legal responsibilities of tech companies as AI tools become increasingly woven into daily life.