While AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini may be making the buzz, it’s easy to forget that there are plenty of other tools that use AI as well. The latest set of apps to adopt AI technology are online journaling tools, which allow you to write and sift through your thoughts with a dedicated AI assistant.
While these tools are convenient, they aren’t always safe. If you’re signing up for an AI journaling service, don’t overlook the risks that come with them.
Potential data breaches
Data breaches are a concern when using any online tool, and this risk is even higher with lesser-known AI journaling tools. You don’t know if the companies offering these tools have adequate security measures in place, which means your details could become publicly available as a result of a data leak or hack.
Even if you decide to use an AI tool for journaling purposes, make sure you don’t share sensitive information or personal details in your entries. And if you suspect your information may have been leaked, I recommend checking for data leaks immediately.
Using Journal Entries for AI Training
Did you know that even high-profile companies like LinkedIn and Facebook are using your content to train their AI systems? This is not uncommon, and using your data for AI training only makes these models better. It is safe to say that at least some AI journaling platforms use the same tactic, which means your innermost thoughts and reflections are being used and analyzed to improve the chatbot’s responses.
Now, some people may agree with this practice, but I definitely don’t want my personal entries to be part of a training dataset. Whatever your stance on the matter, make sure to check out the company’s privacy policy and terms of service before you start using its AI journaling tool. Some companies let you opt out of having your data used for AI training, so this is something to consider if you’re going to continue using the tool.
Misinterpretation of Input
I’m not saying that AI journaling tools aren’t useful. In fact, DeepWonder, an AI journaling tool I tried, would analyze my entry and ask follow-up questions to help me think further. While this is undoubtedly helpful, it’s important to remember that you’re dealing with an AI model at the end of the day.
The advanced AI models we have today may not cause as much confusion as in the past, but they can still misinterpret your entries and give you the wrong advice or make you focus on irrelevant details.
Keep in mind that an AI model isn’t aware of your background and the nuances that go into making a well-informed decision, so it may overlook important aspects of your situation and steer you in the wrong direction. So, just like there are risks of using AI as your free therapist, there are also risks of relying too much on the prompts and questions of an AI model while journaling.
The platform can create a profile of users
Your journal entries and the topics you dive into allow AI companies to create a comprehensive user profile. While this is intended to help AI models provide more accurate and helpful responses, it is also a security risk, as a hack could reveal personal details about you.
Additionally, there is also the possibility that your profile could be sold to advertisers who could use this information to show you targeted ads. Although this is invasive, some companies get away with these practices because they include it in their fine print, which, of course, users often ignore.
AI journaling tools have their perks. But if you don’t want to put your personal information at risk, consider using a traditional journal or offline writing tool to write down your thoughts.