We’re freaked out by how tailored our advertisements on Instagram are, or how much Pinterest seems to anticipate our interior design taste — and yet we continue to spoon-feed AI chatbots heaping piles of intensely personal information.
asserted
we → freak → information
AI companies are now in possession of heaps of personal information that social media giants could only dream of.
uncertain
giants → dream → that
We aren’t just setting ourselves up for hyper-targeted ads.
asserted
We → set → ads
We’re also making ourselves vulnerable to hacks and even blackmail.
asserted
ourselves → make → hacks
ChatGPT alone receives 3 billion messages from users daily.
asserted
ChatGPT → receive → users
Every time we ask a bot for advice, vent to it, or emote at it, we’re contributing to a treasure trove of hyper-personal information, even though we should know better.
asserted
we → ask → information
Considerable proportions of Americans who use AI say they turn to it for frighteningly personal tasks: 20% for medical advice, 20% for diet information, 10% for emotional support, and 4% for companionship.
asserted
they → use → companionship
Those are just self-reported numbers; data from OpenAI itself is even more revealing.
asserted
data → report → OpenAI
Their internal analysis of 1.1 million messages sent in 2025 found that 73% of chats were not work related.
asserted
% → send → chats
Eight-point-five percent of messages were seeking personalized how-to advice, 5.7% health, fitness, beauty, or self-care, 5.3% were considered “self-expression,” and 1.9% personal reflection or talking about relationships.
asserted
% → seek → relationships
Potential for rogue bots deciding they might exploit the data of users isn’t remote.
uncertain
they → decide → users
During a 2025 test, one Anthropic model showed a real knack for blackmail.
asserted
model → show → blackmail
Facing the fictional threat of being disconnected, the model went after a fake executive and threatened to expose email evidence of his marital affair unless he intervened to prevent the shutdown.
asserted
he → face → shutdown
We’re stuck in a fear-versus-behavior paradox.
asserted
We → ’re → paradox
Half of US adults use AI as of this year, and a quarter use it every day.
asserted
quarter → use → it
And yet 7 in 10 Americans admit they believe using AI will make their data less secure.
asserted
data → admit → AI
Perhaps we’re willingly baring it all to Big Tech because we’ve become so dependent on their products.
asserted
we → bar → products
What happens if your AI bot of choice starts harvesting data for its makers to sell?
asserted
makers → happen → data
What if a major AI company gets hacked?
asserted
company → hack → ?
Or a rogue bot starts blackmailing users?
asserted
bot → start → users
What if insurance companies start mining your chatbot conversations about medical symptoms or your smoking habit?
asserted
companies → start → symptoms
Or a loan provider decides they’d like to know what you say about your personal finances when only a robot is around?
asserted
robot → decide → finances
And what if your personal chat logs end up being used as evidence in court?
asserted
logs → end → court
Law enforcement, provided they have a warrant, can access your AI chat logs and conversations as readily as your Google searches.
asserted
they → provide → searches
Already, AI chat logs have been used as evidence in murder investigations, like in the case of former NFL player Darron Lee who allegedly asked a bot to help cover up his girlfriend’s death.
uncertain
who → use → death
Criminals are learning the hard way that AI isn’t a black box, including one Missouri student who allegedly asked AI “how f—ed am I bro” while confessing in detail to vandalizing cars.
uncertain
I → learn → cars
Regular users of chatbots seem to be literally or willfully ignorant of the privacy concerns, but Silicon Valley leaders certainly aren’t.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp demanded in a July CNBC interview that big AI firms answer the pretty basic questions: “Who owns the data?
asserted
Who → seem → data
is it cached?
asserted
it → cache → ?
”
We should all demand answers to these questions before typing away into a robot’s database — and yet we keep volunteering our personal information anyways, because it’s convenient.
asserted
it → demand → information
But the most concerning dimension of our privacy nightmare is how much information AI companies have about their users.
asserted
companies → have → users
For instance, Anthropic said in their September 2026 threat intelligence report that they identified and banned users who were using their AI for the purpose of fraud, scams, cyberattacks, weapons development, and influence operations.
asserted
who → say → fraud
While, of course, we should all be glad that those users were stopped, the fact that they’ve been singled out is proof that your conversations with AI aren’t simply going into a digital void.
asserted
conversations → stop → void
In fact, they’re going into a very valuable pile being accessed by law enforcement and leveraged by companies for profit.
asserted
they → go → profit
OpenAI is already actively developing an advertising arm of their business.
asserted
OpenAI → develop → business
On their website, they excitedly tell potential advertisers that they’ll be able to “reach people in moments that matter,” because “people come to ChatGPT… [to] make decisions.”
asserted
people → tell → decisions
“Go beyond keywords with richer context signals,” the company pitched on their landing page for advertisers.
asserted
company → go → advertisers
“In ChatGPT, people share richer context, enabling advertising that is more relevant, personalized, and useful.”
asserted
that → share → advertising
Of course, OpenAI has stressed that they “keep your conversations with ChatGPT private from advertisers” and “never sell your data to advertisers.”
asserted
they → stress → advertisers
The company referred The Post to public statements assuring users that they can opt-out of personalized ads.
asserted
they → refer → ads
But AI companies’ pivot into the advertising business represents a new frontier in surveillance capitalism.
asserted
pivot → represent → capitalism
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
