An Unsettling Experience: Encountering Sensitive Information Through AI
Recently, I found myself in a rather distressing situation involving an interaction with an AI language model. While seeking advice on the appropriate type of sandpaper for a project, I received an unexpected and alarming response. Instead of helpful guidance, the AI provided a detailed overview of someone else’s drug test — someone I have no connection with, located across the country.
To my astonishment, I was able to retrieve the full file, which included not only the drug test results but also personal signatures and other sensitive information about this individual. Understandably, this left me feeling anxious and confused about what steps to take next. My immediate concern was to avoid the unintentional dissemination of this person’s private data, which I certainly do not wish to be responsible for.
In a later update, I acknowledged the concerns of some who pointed out my tendency to spend less time on Reddit. I shared an excerpt of the conversation, emphasizing that I omitted portions where I inquired about my own personal information, fearing it might inadvertently disclose someone else’s data. Interestingly, instead, I was presented with aspects of my own background that I would prefer to keep off the internet.
I recognize that the AI could be fabricating these details, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as “hallucination” in the AI community. Nonetheless, I conducted some research on the names mentioned and found certain correlations with their respective locations, which added to my unease.
For those curious about my experience, I’ve provided a link to a specific comment on the original conversation thread. It seems some users have questioned my intentions, but I assure you I’m merely sharing my experience in hopes of gaining insights and perhaps offering a cautionary tale about the unexpected outcomes that can arise when interacting with AI models.
You can review the original comment here.
If you’ve encountered similar situations, or if you have advice on how to handle this kind of breach, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts.
