29-07-2025
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman flags lack of AI-user privacy; Deepfakes threaten political security; Nvidia orders H20 chips from TSMC
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman flags lack of AI-user privacy
Users who treat ChatGPT as a life coach or therapist, sharing extremely personal thoughts or sensitive questions with the AI chatbot, do not have real privacy protections, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The technologist warned during an episode of 'This Past Weekend' podcast with Theo Von that the AI company could be forced to hand over such content as evidence in case of a lawsuit or a legal proceeding. Altman made it clear that he disagreed with this standard and highlighted the need for a user-AI privacy standard similar to the one that exists between a patient and a doctor or a client and a therapist. Such interactions are generally protected by what is known as 'privilege,' meaning it is hard to use them against the individual in court.
This is not merely a hypothetical situation for the company and its users worldwide. OpenAI was critical of The New York Times, claiming that as part of a lawsuit against the AI startup, the media company asked the court to force OpenAI to 'retain all user content indefinitely going forward...'
Deepfakes threaten political security
Employees who work in U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, high-profile business companies in America, or corporate settings are preparing to tackle the surge in realistic deepfakes across media formats that impersonate their leaders and chiefs. This has been done to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. There is a serious risk that lower-level employees targeted by such scams might disclose highly sensitive information, security details, or trade secrets to malicious attackers representing hostile regimes. Deepfakes can also be used to scam users out of their savings, get access to their passwords, or prevent them from exercising their right to vote unimpeded.
However, there are tech experts who believe that the solution to identifying AI-generated deepfakes is deploying more AI tools that can process the details of a deepfake that human viewers might miss out on. Efforts are also on to better track North Korean agents who are embedded in the U.S. workforce.
Nvidia orders H20 chips from TSMC
Sources have claimed that Nvidia ordered 300,000 H20 chipsets from TSMC last week, with the development being related to a strong Chinese demand for the chips that are used in AI development. H20 was developed by Nvidia for the Chinese market and has less computing power than Nvidia's H100 and its new Blackwell series; it was made after U.S. export restrictions hit its other AI chipsets. Nvidia and TSMC have not yet formally commented on the reports.
While U.S. legislators are concerned that China's access to the H20 offerings will affect competition between the two countries when it comes to leading AI technology, Nvidia's perspective is that Chinese interest in its chips will prevent developers from becoming reliant on products from rivals such as Huawei.
