Filipinos should be cautious on what information they share with AI chatbots.
AI chatbots have many applications, including taking orders for online retailers and for socializing, mimicking a friend or a lover. But like other technologies, AI chatbots could be used for nefarious purposes.
This is why DICT and DOST warned the Filipino public to be wary of what they share with these bots.
“As you make your queries, as you engage with AI, you will be sharing information, you will be sharing data. So you have to be careful as to what extent (of your personal data) you want to share,” said DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy.
The warning is linked to the recent global impact of the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. It caused a one-day hit in the US tech market, primarily affecting Nvidia GPUs. Other companies struck by its arrival include Broadcom, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon.
The DICT secretary emphasized that AI systems need data to process and perform tasks. Data is what fuels AI, and AI only acts as an engine, and without data, the engine won’t do anything. Thus, be careful what you share with AI chatbots or any AI-powered software out there.
DeepSeek is still being evaluated for its capabilities and security, but interim findings suggest that it certainly has limitations in answering specific queries.
Do you use AI chatbots? What have you shared so far?