As artificial intelligence chat tools become part of daily life at work, school, and home, many people may be sharing more personal information than they realize.
New research from the University at Buffalo School of Management suggests that even casual conversations with AI assistants can unintentionally reveal private details about users.
Large language model tools, such as virtual assistants and chatbots, often feel informal and safe, like talking to a helpful friend.
However, researchers warn that prompts typed into these systems can contain sensitive information about a person’s plans, opinions, workplace, travel, or personal situation.
When these tools are connected to a logged-in account, each message may be linked to a real identity, making privacy concerns more serious.
The research team explored whether AI systems could be designed to warn users before they accidentally share something private.
To do this, they created a large multilingual dataset based on real interactions with AI tools.
The dataset included nearly 250,000 user messages and more than 150,000 examples of phrases that could expose personal information. Using this data, the researchers trained an advanced AI system to detect potential privacy risks in conversations.
The system worked in several steps. First, it analyzed whether a message contained any personal details.
These could include information about future plans, preferences, or work-related matters. Next, it identified the exact words or phrases that might create a privacy risk. Finally, it generated a short explanation telling the user what information those words revealed and why it might be sensitive.
The goal is to develop smaller, privacy-focused AI tools that could run directly on personal devices such as phones or computers.
These tools could alert users in real time, before a message is sent, that they may be sharing more than intended. Researchers believe this approach would give people more control over their personal information, especially compared with large cloud-based systems that process data remotely.
The study highlights how easy it is to overlook privacy when using convenient digital tools. Because conversations with AI can feel casual, users may forget that their words are being recorded, stored, or analyzed. A simple question about travel plans, health concerns, or workplace issues could unintentionally expose sensitive details.
Researchers say the findings are an important step toward safer AI interactions. As these technologies continue to spread, building tools that protect users’ privacy will become increasingly important. In the future, AI assistants may not only answer questions but also act as guardians, helping people avoid sharing information they would prefer to keep private.
The message from the study is simple: AI chat tools are powerful and useful, but users should remain aware of what they type. Even small details can add up to a bigger picture of someone’s life, making caution and smarter privacy protections essential in the age of artificial intelligence.
