OpenAI Contractors Review User Chats for AI Chatbot Training, Raising Privacy Concerns
OpenAI is employing hundreds of contractors to review and score real user prompts and responses from ChatGPT, a program reportedly known as 'Project Lily.' This initiative aims to improve the chatbot's quality and behavior. While AI companies often monitor conversations for safety, this program extends to general model improvement. OpenAI states that a 'Privacy Filter' model is used to remove personal information before prompts reach reviewers, but acknowledges that sensitive details can still bypass this filter. Reviewers do not see usernames but may access personal details within conversations and a 'user memories summary,' which could reveal significant information about the user. Users can opt out of having their chats used for model improvement by adjusting settings in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, though opting out does not prevent all human access for reasons such as abuse investigation, support, or legal matters.