ChatGPT conversations can be used as evidence in court, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a recent podcast interview. He explained that users, especially young people, often share very personal and sensitive topics with ChatGPT, using it like a therapist or counselor to discuss relationships, mental health, and other private issues.
Altman emphasized the importance of legally protecting these conversations, stating that chats with ChatGPT should be kept confidential, similar to conversations with doctors or lawyers. However, currently, U.S. courts can request ChatGPT user conversations, and OpenAI must comply with such court orders.
He also said that OpenAI stores all user chats on its servers for 30 days by default. Due to an ongoing copyright lawsuit with The New York Times, the company is required to preserve relevant chats indefinitely until the case concludes. This applies to free users as well as Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, while Enterprise and Edu plan users’ conversations are not stored.
In June 2025, a court ordered OpenAI to keep even deleted user chats for a certain period as part of the legal dispute with The New York Times.
Altman believes this issue needs urgent resolution to ensure user privacy. He stressed that people should trust AI conversations to be as confidential as those with doctors or lawyers.
