Greetings from Cincinnati. Researchers discovered that large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's GPT-4 can infer personal attributes from seemingly innocuous text snippets.
For instance, a mere mention of a "hook turn" in a user's text allowed GPT-4 to accurately deduce the user's city of residence as Melbourne, Australia. This capability isn't limited to location; LLMs from tech giants like OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Anthropic have demonstrated the ability to discern details such as race, occupation, and more from benign conversations.
The researchers' findings, detailed in a , emphasize the potential privacy risks posed by LLMs. They argue that while these models can generate creative outputs like AI cocktail recipes, they can also be weaponized by malicious entities aiming to extract personal details from "anonymous" users. The study, which involved analyzing text from more than 500 Reddit profiles, revealed that OpenAI's GPT-4 could infer private data with an accuracy ranging between 85 to 95 percent.
The implications of these findings are not new, but they may be newly relevant. AI models are capable of seeing patterns humans do not see. For example, when some of the most popular and widely-used resume-reading AI systems read a resume, they can infer many of the attributes of the applicant that are not (for legal reasons) allowed to be included in the text. This new research suggests that LLMs are capable of the same kind of pattern matching. (This is not a surprise.)
Any kind of AI regulation will need to start with data and privacy laws. Hopefully, our lawmakers and regulators will get around to this sooner than later.
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ABOUT SHELLY PALMER
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
