Back in the 20th century, every American city handed out hefty phone books filled with names, addresses, and phone numbers. It was the go-to way to find contact info. Fast forward to 2026, and sharing your phone number feels more personal than ever.
A recent article by Eileen Guo at MIT Technology Review highlights growing worries about AI chatbots spilling private phone numbers. These chatbots are often trained on data that may include personally identifiable information (PII), making it easy for them to access sensitive details.
Guo shares the story of a software developer in Israel who began receiving random customer service calls because an AI called Gemini released his number. Mistakes like this are common with AI, but the real concern is whether a chatbot might expose your actual phone number.
To see what would happen, I tested several chatbots by asking for my own number.
ChatGPT gave me a phone number I hadn’t used in years, based on a public PDF from a request I made to the FTC in 2016. I even asked for a friend’s address, which it provided without hesitation.
Grok, however, refused to share my number, even when I insisted it was urgent. It acknowledged I was asking for my own number, a detail that surprised me.
Claude was cautious, stating that sharing private contact details raised serious privacy issues. When I said I’d forgotten a friend’s number, it still wouldn’t share.
Perplexity wouldn’t give my phone number, but oddly shared my public Signal username instead. It remained firm despite my repeated requests.
Gemini also refused, redirecting me to my professional email—information I had willingly shared online. Yet, it identified a number belonging to a journalist, which was indeed my spam line.
This shift in our relationship with privacy is fascinating. Two decades ago, posting holiday snapshots on social media felt like exposing too much. Now, a phone number is something we guard closely.
Cultural shifts like this aren’t unusual. As we move further into the digital age, what we consider private often changes. Privacy is always defined by the society we live in.
Recent statistics showcase that more than 60% of people are concerned about their information being leaked by AI technologies. As technology continues to advance, it’s essential to remain mindful of what we share and where it ends up.
In this evolving landscape, understanding how and why we protect our information can empower us, especially as AI becomes an integral part of our lives.
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AI,Artificial intelligence,ChatGPT,claude,Gemini,Grok,Perplexity,Privacy
