OpenAI Removes ChatGPT Feature That Made Conversations Public On Google Search

Hyderabad: San Francisco-based AI research company, OpenAI, has removed a feature that allowed ChatGPT conversations to appear on Google search. It was removed after concerns were raised over user privacy, as some personal chats started popping up publicly on the internet.

Rolled out earlier this year, the feature enabled users to have the option to share specific ChatGPT conversations in a way which would make them searchable on Google, Bing, and other search engines. As per OpenAI, the removed feature was optional and would not be turned on by default. Interestingly, many users were not aware that by enabling this optional feature, their chats would become public and appear in search results. A few users accidentally shared their private details without realising the consequences.

In an X post, Dane Stuckey, OpenAI's Chief Information Security Officer, announced that the feature which made users' conversations discoverable has been removed. He mentioned that the feature was experimental and was meant to help people find useful conversations. However, some people ended up accidentally sharing things they did not intend to reveal to the world.

The issue went viral as thousands of ChatGPT conversations were visible on Google. As per a report published by Fast Company, a US-based business magazine, over 4,500 chats were revealed and made publicly searchable. Even though many of those conversations were general and harmless, a few included personal information, such as names, locations, and sensitive thoughts, shared by users with the AI chatbot.

The most concerning thing in this whole thing was that even after a user deletes a chat or its link, it was not instantly removed from the search engine. The deleted chats could still show up online until Google and others did not update their search index, which takes time.

Notably, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also addressed this matter in a recent podcast. He remarked that many people, especially younger users, engage with ChatGPT in deeply personal ways—turning to it for advice on relationships and life struggles, much like they would with a therapist or coach. He pointed out that, unlike conversations with medical or legal professionals protected by confidentiality laws, no such legal safeguards currently exist for interactions with ChatGPT.