It’s no surprise that AI models gather data from numerous sources, but users have been taken aback to find their interactions with ChatGPT popping up in Google search results.

As reported by Fast Company, nearly 4,500 conversations are visible through Google searches, many lacking unique identifiers. Users opting to share their chats were flagged with a tick box that allowed permission for their discussions to be ‘discoverable’.

This option included a disclaimer: “Allows it to be shown in web searches.”

Despite no identifiable details being included, one highlighted interaction described personal experiences involving PTSD and emotional struggles while living abroad.

In a statement, AI ethicist at the University of Oxford, Carissa Veliz, voiced her astonishment that sensitive conversations were logged by Google:

“As a privacy scholar, I’m very aware that that data is not private, but of course, ‘not private’ can mean many things, and that Google is logging in these extremely sensitive conversations is just astonishing.”

After users expressed concerns, OpenAI’s CISO, Dane Stuckey, shared that the discoverability feature has been removed due to the potential for accidental information sharing. He stressed the importance of caution regarding online data privacy, stating,

“Ultimately we think this feature introduced too many opportunities for folks to accidentally share things they didn’t intend to, so we’re removing the option. We’re also working to remove indexed content from the relevant search engines.”