ChatGPT Finance: Privacy Concerns with Account Linking

Some ChatGPT users can now link financial accounts for personalized budgeting and spending insights. This new feature is rolling out in preview to U.S. ChatGPT Pro subscribers, who pay $100 per month. OpenAI plans to expand it to Plus users later. Users can connect accounts from over 12,000 financial institutions through Plaid. Once connected, ChatGPT can analyze spending, review subscriptions, and help plan financial goals. OpenAI states these connections are read-only, meaning ChatGPT cannot move money or execute transactions. Users can also disconnect accounts and delete history at any time. However, experts are raising privacy red flags. They warn against sharing highly sensitive data like passwords or Social Security numbers with AI chatbots. One expert noted that anything put into a large language model could potentially become public. This matters because while these tools offer convenience, consumers need to weigh the benefits against potential privacy risks.