Season 3, Episode 285 · Hands-On Tech (Video)
HOT 285: Are My AI Chatbot Conversations Private? - The Risks Of Sharing Information with AI Chatbots
20 Sep 2026 · 17 min
Episode notes
In this week's episode of Hands-On Tech, Wendell asks Mikah whether his wife is right that typing into an AI chatbot is no different from a Google search, and wants to know where those conversations go, who can see them, whether they're used for training, and if any settings can turn that off in both ChatGPT and Gemini. Send in your questions for Mikah to [email protected], and he'll answer them in a future episode! Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and…
Transcript
Read the transcript · about 340 words
Sep 23rd 2026
AI-generated, human-reviewed.
Most people don’t realize that conversations with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are not as private as they think. On Hands-On Tech , Mikah Sargent uncovered how these services store and use your chats—and what you can do to protect your data.
Whenever you use an AI chatbot, your prompts, uploads, and even voice recordings are saved to company servers and often tied to your account. These records may be accessed by human reviewers and are, by default, used to train and improve the AI. While there are settings to limit training, data storage usually continues—and deleted chats may not be fully gone.
Privacy controls do exist on both ChatGPT and Gemini, but each handles chat history and data retention differently. Knowing how to adjust these settings is key for anyone entering sensitive information.
AI chatbots store every interaction—including typed messages, uploads, voice, and images—on their servers. This is why chat history “follows” you from device to device. By default:
For most personal accounts, these conversations help train the AI, which means your private data can help improve future chatbot responses.
Critically, there’s no doctor-patient or attorney-client privilege protecting what you share with an AI. Even health data is only covered by company policies, not federal privacy laws like HIPAA.
On Hands-On Tech , Mikah Sargent demonstrated that both ChatGPT and Gemini offer privacy controls, but they come with trade-offs.
When you use AI chatbots for anything sensitive—health, legal, finances—always treat the conversation as something the company (and potentially others) can access. Use dedicated features like ChatGPT Health for medical matters and temporary chat modes for privacy. Above all, never assume these tools provide the same privacy as a confidential conversation with a professional.
AI chatbots are powerful and helpful, but your data is almost always stored and potentially reviewed unless you take specific steps. For the best privacy, turn off training, use temporary chats, and avoid sharing personally identifiable information whenever possible.
Want more practical tech advice? Subscribe to Hands-On Tech on TWiT.tv: https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech/episodes/285
Transcript supplied by the publisher with the episode.
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Hands-On Tech (Video)
TWiT · Tech & Science · English
Welcome to Hands-On Tech , where host Mikah Sargent turns tech troubles into tech triumphs. Each episode zooms in on a specific theme, unpacking listener questions with expert analysis and easy-to-follow advice. From decoding the latest gadgets to simplifying everyday tech, Mikah's got you covered.
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