OpenAI Contractors Are Reading and Rating ChatGPT Chats
Internal documents obtained by 404 Media show that OpenAI hires hundreds of external contractors who read and rate real ChatGPT conversations.
Users on free, Plus, and Pro plans are affected because these accounts have data usage for model improvement turned on by default. Business and education accounts are excluded.
Under a project codenamed 'Lily,' contractors access prompts through dashboards, sometimes including summaries of earlier chats. They rate four AI-generated answer options on a scale from 1 to 7 and flag awkward phrasing.
OpenAI uses a tool called Privacy Filter to remove personal details before review, but the company admits that rare identifiers or private information, such as location details, can still slip through.
Other companies also use human review: Anthropic says it limits this to users who opt in and strips account identifiers beforehand. Google notes that some saved Gemini chats are also reviewed by people.
A contractor who works with the prompts told 404 Media they doubt most users realize that real people can read their conversations.
It remains unclear how often sensitive information actually reaches reviewers despite the filter, and how clearly users are informed about this practice.
WHY IT MATTERS
Millions of people share personal and sometimes very private details with ChatGPT without knowing that humans may read those conversations.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
- Turn off data sharing for training Open ChatGPT's settings and go to data controls. Switch off the option that allows your chats to improve the model for everyone.
- Avoid sharing sensitive details Don't type health, legal, or financial information into the chat. Treat your messages as if someone else could read them.
- Use a business or education account These account types have data sharing off by default. Use one if you can for stronger privacy.
- Check privacy settings regularly Revisit the app's privacy options from time to time. Companies sometimes change default settings without much notice.