Private search company DuckDuckGo released a new survey highlighting how much personal information people share with AI chatbots and how little many understand about what happens to those conversations. The survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults found that nearly one in three users have told an AI something they would not share with friends, family, or medical professionals. Among self-described AI enthusiasts, that figure rises to 56%.

The company notes that 53% of respondents did not know or were unsure that most chatbots use conversations for training by default, while just 25% knew that AI chats can be subpoenaed by law enforcement. Once users are aware of this, 58% express discomfort with how their conversations are used to train AI, with 30% specifying "very uncomfortable." There is a significant behavioral divide between parents and non-parents; parents or guardians confide in AI almost twice as much as non-parents. DuckDuckGo argues that AI companies have leaned into this behavior by encouraging users to treat chatbots as confidants, even though conversations may not be as private as users believe.

When it comes to trust, people have slightly more confidence in large AI companies than in the U.S. government to protect their data, though skepticism remains high toward both. DuckDuckGo reminds users that they can take proactive steps to protect their privacy, including choosing services with clearer data-handling policies.