Court Orders ChatGPT to Retain All Conversations – Even Deleted Ones

OpenAI has found itself at the center of a legal battle that could reshape how AI companies handle user data. A U.S. federal court has ordered the company to preserve all ChatGPT user interactions, including deleted conversations, as part of an ongoing copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times.

The lawsuit, initiated in December 2023, alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft used copyrighted materials from The New York Times without permission to train their language models, including ChatGPT and Bing Chat. The Times argues that the models can generate responses closely resembling original articles, effectively bypassing paywalls and undermining its business model.

The court’s order demands that OpenAI not only retain but also segregate all data related to user prompts and AI responses, including those that users have deleted. OpenAI contends that this requirement contradicts its privacy policy and undermines user expectations. COO Brad Lightcap warned that such precedent could erode global user trust and conflict with the company’s commitment to privacy.

The data preservation order applies to users of ChatGPT Free, Plus, Pro, and Team, as well as API customers who have not enabled Zero Data Retention. Enterprise users, ChatGPT Edu customers, and API clients with Zero Data Retention settings are excluded.

OpenAI emphasized that all preserved data is securely held under legal protocols, accessible only to a restricted and audited team. The company has appealed the court’s ruling and reiterated its intent to defend both user privacy and ethical AI principles.

This legal dispute raises broader questions about the tension between legal accountability and individual privacy. Analysts warn that the case could have far-reaching consequences for the entire AI industry, especially in the context of training models on public content.