AI Caricature Trend Sparks Data Privacy Warnings as Experts Flag Security Risks

ChatGPT caricature trend: What to do if OpenAI knows too much

The ChatGPT caricature trend has gone mega-viral, with countless people sharing AI-generated images of themselves on Reddit, X, and other social media platforms. These images are usually quite cute (though they can be bizarre and unsettling). A typical ChatGPT caricature depicts the user in cartoon style, surrounded by items that reflect their personality, hobbies, or profession. You can see hundreds of examples on X based on simple prompts such as "Create a caricature of me and my job based on everything you know about me." This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. But what if ChatGPT knows you a little too well? The more detailed and accurate your caricature, the more ChatGPT and OpenAI know about you. For instance, when I tried to generate a ChatGPT caricature, the results were painfully bland. When I asked ChatGPT how it decided which details to include in the photo, the chatbot basically admitted it simply picked generic items like headphones and coffee. "Because I don't actually have deep personal info about you (beyond what you've shared in chats), I used fun but non-specific caricature tropes." (Emphasis in original.) So, if your caricature left you feeling a certain type of way, what can you do? It may be time to practice some digital hygiene and take a fresh look at how ChatGPT saves and uses your data. ChatGPT saves a history of your previous chats, which can be helpful. However, you can delete these chats to limit the data that OpenAI has about you. To delete an individual chat, go to the "Your chats" tab in the ChatGPT sidebar. Click the three dots next to a chat and click "Delete." You can also delete all of your chats. To do this, click on your profile icon and click into "Settings," then "Data controls." Here, you can select "Delete all chats." You may also choose to turn off the "Improve the model for everyone" setting, which allows OpenAI to use your chats for model training. OpenAI has a privacy portal, where users can submit data deletion requests. Using the privacy portal, you can submit a variety of privacy-related requests: You can also send additional requests, questions, and comments directly to OpenAI using the email address [email protected]. People use ChatGPT (and other AI chatbots) in a variety of ways, and over time, it can feel like more than a generic assistant. Some people go to Chat with deeply personal medical questions, while others treat ChatGPT as a relationship advisor, a life coach, or even a close personal friend. As Mashable has reported previously, a growing number of people are now using AI for companionship. However, if you believe you've developed a parasocial relationship with large-language models like ChatGPT, then it may be time to reflect on how you interact with this technology. For instance, if you're developing an emotional reliance on ChatGPT, or if you're starting to believe that ChatGPT is "alive" and in a relationship with you, you may want to take a break from Chat. The long-term effects of developing an emotional reliance on AI chatbots are unknown, but experts we've spoken to have warned that this type of behavior may be harmful if it takes time and energy away from your other relationships, social life, and hobbies. Organizations like Common Sense Media have also warned that AI companions are unsafe for users under 18.

Why you should beware of ChatGPT's AI caricature trend

Images uploaded to AI chatbots could be retained for an unknown amount of time and, if in the wrong hands, could lead to impersonation, scams, and fake social media accounts. The artificial intelligence (AI) created caricature trend that showcases everything a chatbot knows about someone in a colourful picture, can pose serious security risks, according to cybersecurity experts. Users upload a photo of themselves with a company logo or details about their role and ask OpenAI's ChatGPT to create a caricature of them and their job using what the chatbot knows about them. Cybersecurity experts told Euronews Next that social media challenges, such as AI caricatures, can provide fraudsters with a treasure trove of valuable information. A single image, paired with personal details, can be more revealing than users realise. "You are doing fraudsters' work for them - giving them a visual representation of who you are," according to Bob Long, vice-president at age authentication company Daon. The wording of itself should raise red flags, he argued, because it "sounds like it was intentionally started by a fraudster looking to make the job easy." When a user uploads an image to an AI chatbot, the system processes the image to extract data, such as the person's emotion, environment, or information that could disclose their location, according to cybersecurity consultant Jake Moore. That information may then be stored for an unknown period of time. Long said the images collected from users can be used and retained to train AI image generators as part of their datasets. A data breach at a company like OpenAI could mean sensitive data, such as uploaded images and personal information gathered by the chatbot, could fall into the hands of bad actors who could exploit it. In the wrong hands, a single, high-resolution image could be used to create fake social media accounts or realistic AI deepfakes that could be used to run a scam, according to Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise at Check Point, an Israeli cybersecurity company. "Selfies help criminals move from generic scams to personalised, high-conviction impersonation," she said. OpenAI's privacy settings state that uploaded images may be used to improve the model, which can include training it. When asked about the model's privacy settings, ChatGPT clarified that this does not mean every photo is placed in a public database. Instead, the chatbot said it uses patterns from user content to refine how the system generates images. For those who still want to follow the trend, experts recommend limiting what you share. Wilson said users should avoid uploading images that reveal any identifying information. "Crop tightly, keep the background plain, and do not include badges, uniforms, work lanyards, location clues or anything that ties you to an employer or a routine," she said. Wilson cautioned against oversharing personal information in the prompts, such as their job title, city or employer. Meanwhile, Moore recommended reviewing privacy settings before participating, including the option to remove data from AI training. OpenAI has a privacy portal which lets users opt out of AI data training by clicking on "do not train on my content." Users can also opt out of training from their text conversations with ChatGPT by turning off an "improve the model for everyone" setting. Under EU law, users can request the deletion of personal data collected by the company. However, OpenAI notes it may retain some information even after deletion to address fraud, abuse and security concerns.