A Disturbing Encounter with AI: Unintended Access to Personal Medical Data
Recently, I had a perplexing and unsettling experience involving an AI assistant that left me both shocked and concerned. What began as a simple inquiry about the appropriate type of sandpaper escalated into an alarming situation where I received unrelated medical information that belonged to an individual thousands of miles away from me.
To provide some context, I turned to ChatGPT, hoping to get some advice on my DIY project. Instead, I found myself reviewing a detailed overview of someone else’s drug test results, complete with signatures and sensitive personal details. The unexpected nature of this revelation was disconcerting, to say the least.
I must admit, I was taken aback and unsure of how to proceed. My immediate instinct was to refrain from sharing this conversation publicly. The last thing I want is to further disseminate someone else’s private information.
As I reflected on this strange encounter, I found myself grappling with mixed emotions. Initially, I hesitated to share my story, feeling apprehensive about how it might be perceived. I briefly shared a snippet of the transcript in a comment, but chose to redact portions that could jeopardize my own privacy. To my surprise, while the AI displayed symptoms of what some call “hallucination”—offering content that may not be entirely accurate—it did reference names and details that seem to correspond with real-life identities. This raised even more questions about the reliability and ethics of AI systems like ChatGPT.
For those curious about how this situation unfolded, I initially addressed ChatGPT as “Atlas,” which may explain the references to that name in my posts. While I recognize the potential for errors, I couldn’t dismiss the unsettling accuracy of certain details.
In a follow-up comment, I attempted to clarify my intentions and share the context of my experience. I’ve linked to the relevant discussion in case anyone is interested in examining this issue further: My Reddit Comment.
To anyone who might be quick to judge or label my actions, I understand the scrutiny—this was my first time initiating a thread on Reddit, and the feedback has certainly been mixed. As a member of the digital landscape, I feel a responsibility to uphold ethical standards,
