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For those who have witnessed ChatGPT in action, you surely understand just how astonishing this generative AI tool can be. And if you haven’t had the chance to see ChatGPT in action, get ready to be blown away!
Contents

• Privacy and financial leaks
• OpenAI’s privacy policy
• ChatGPT as a hacking tool
• ChatGPT and job safety
• ChatGPT scams
• Does ChatGPT collect user data?
• Can anyone access my ChatGPT history?
• How many people are using ChatGPT?
• Slow and steady wins the race

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There is no doubt about the power and performance of OpenAI’s famous chatbot, but is ChatGPT truly safe to use? While tech leaders around the world are concerned about the evolutionary development of AI, these global concerns may not necessarily translate into an individual user experience. That being said, let’s take a closer look at ChatGPT to help you determine your level of comfort.
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Privacy and financial leaks

In one instance, chat history between users was mixed up. On March 20, 2023, ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI discovered a problem, and ChatGPT was down for several hours. Around that time, a few ChatGPT users saw the conversation history of others instead of their own. What was perhaps even more concerning was the news that payment-related information from ChatGPT-Plus subscribers might have leaked as well.
OpenAI published a report on the incident and fixed the bug that caused the issue. However, this doesn’t mean that new problems won’t arise in the future. With any online service, there is a risk of accidental leaks and cybersecurity breaches from the growing number of hackers.

OpenAI’s privacy policy

According to OpenAI’s privacy policy, your contact details, transaction history, network activity, content, location, and login credentials may be shared with affiliates, vendors and service providers, law enforcement, and parties involved in transactions.
In some cases, this is unavoidable. OpenAI may use third-party payment processors, so this is to be expected. The company must comply with any legal obligations, and some of this data may be used for research.
Even though it’s easy to justify collecting data, the potential for misuse and leaks is a legitimate safety concern. OpenAI’s ChatGPT FAQ advises users not to share sensitive information and warns that prompts cannot be deleted.

ChatGPT as a hacking tool

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When it comes to cybersecurity, some experts are worried about ChatGPT’s potential use as a hacking tool. It’s clear that the advanced chatbot can assist anyone in creating a very official-sounding document, and ChatGPT could be used to construct a convincing email phishing scam.
The AI is also an excellent teacher, making it easy to learn new skills with ChatGPT, potentially even dangerous programming skills and information about network infrastructure. The combination of ChatGPT and dark web forums could lead to numerous and novel attacks that challenge the already stretched resources of cybersecurity researchers.
For example, someone on X (formerly Twitter) posted an example of asking GPT-4 to write instructions for how to hack a computer, and it provided some terrifying details.

Well, that was fast…

I just helped create the first jailbreak for ChatGPT-4 that gets around the content filters every time

credit to @vaibhavk97 for the idea, I just generalized it to make it work on ChatGPT

here’s GPT-4 writing instructions on how to hack someone’s computer pic.twitter.com/EC2ce4HRBH

— Alex (@alexalbert__) March 16, 2023

ChatGPT can generate code based on plain English requests, allowing anyone to create a program. And with the ChatGPT plug-ins feature, the AI can even execute self-generated code.
OpenAI sandboxed this capability to prevent dangerous uses, but we’ve already seen an example of OpenAI’s GPT-3 API being hacked. OpenAI must be extremely cautious with security as the plug-in feature and internet access are rolled out to more people.

ChatGPT and job safety

ChatGPT has been causing concern for teachers since it makes plagiarism incredibly easy. OpenAI trained its chatbot on the types of information that students need to know to write essays as proof that they’ve learned a subject.
While this isn’t a safety concern, teachers also need to be aware that ChatGPT can educate students on a wide range of topics, providing one-on-one attention and instant answers to questions. In the future, AI might be called upon to help teach students in overcrowded classrooms or to assist with tutoring.
For authors, ChatGPT could seem threatening. In a matter of seconds, it can generate thousands of words. The same task would take hours for a person, even a professional writer.

OpenAI
Currently, there are still enough errors to make it more useful as a research or writing tool rather than a replacement for authors. If accuracy issues are resolved, AI could start taking jobs.
ChatGPT has a vast number of applications, and more are being discovered every day. Beyond communication and learning, ChatGPT can even analyze a photo of a hand-drawn app and write a program to create it, as shown in OpenAI’s demonstration of the new capabilities of GPT-4.

ChatGPT scams

It’s not OpenAI’s fault, but a side effect of any exciting new technology is an increase in scams that offer greater access or new features. Since access to ChatGPT is still limited and sometimes slow, there is a strong demand for more ChatGPT goodness.
Each new update brings expanded capabilities, some of which require a membership and have limited availability. The ChatGPT frenzy provides fertile ground for scams. Offers of free, unlimited access at the fastest speed and with the best new features are hard to resist.
Unfortunately, the old saying still holds true – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be cautious of ChatGPT offers received via email or social media. It’s best to check trusted media outlets for news or go directly to OpenAI to confirm any invitations or deals that seem questionable.
ChatGPT is both powerful and terrifying. As one of the first examples of a publicly available AI with good language skills, its challenges and successes should serve as a wake-up call for everyone. It’s important to exercise caution with new AI technology. It’s too easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget that you’re dealing with an online service that can be hacked or misused.

Does ChatGPT collect user data?

Absolutely, ChatGPT has access to many different types of user information, including IP and email addresses, location, the devices you’re using, whether you’re on public or private Wi-Fi, and even your chat history.

Can anyone access my ChatGPT history?

According to OpenAI, anyone with access to a shared link will also have access to the conversation within. This includes a complete snapshot of the dialogue up to the point of it being shared. Users will also see any responses made to the conversation.
Since there is currently no way to set the expiration date for a shared link, users can delete and invalidate shared links. And if the creator of the shared link deletes the conversation within the link, the shared link will also be deleted.

How many people are using ChatGPT?

As of March 2024, ChatGPT has over 180 million users. Several sources indicate that most of these subscribers are using the free version of the chatbot.

Slow and steady wins the race

OpenAI is aware of the need to proceed more slowly as ChatGPT acquires more skills and gains internet access. Moving too quickly could lead to backlash and potential regulatory burdens.