ChatGPT Data Leaks: 71% of Corporate Information at Risk

Amsterdam – Your employees are trying to be productive, but they might be accidentally handing over your company’s crown jewels. A shocking new report reveals that 71% of all AI-related corporate data leaks are caused by employees pasting sensitive information into ChatGPT.

The study, conducted by cybersecurity firm Harmonic Security, analyzed over 22 million AI prompts. The conclusion is terrifying for IT departments: seemingly harmless questions to chatbots are exposing source code, legal contracts, and merger plans to the public cloud.

Table of Contents

• The Report: 71% of Blame Falls on ChatGPT
• What Are We Leaking? (It’s Not Just Emails)
• The Real Culprit: “Free” Personal Accounts
• The China Factor: DeepSeek on the Rise
• Key Takeaways
• Dutch Learning Corner
• Community CTA

The Report: 71% of Blame Falls on ChatGPT

While companies are rushing to adopt AI tools like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, the real danger lies elsewhere.

Despite handling less than half of corporate AI traffic, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is responsible for the overwhelming majority (71%) of data leaks.

Why?
Because it is the default “go-to” tool for employees looking for quick answers. The report found that just six applications account for 92.6% of all data exposure risk. If you can secure these six, you solve most of the problem.

What Are We Leaking? (It’s Not Just Emails)

The type of data being fed into these chatbots is alarming. It’s not just lunch orders; it’s the core IP of businesses.

Top 3 Leaked Categories:
1. Source Code (30%): Developers pasting proprietary code to ask “Fix this bug for me.”
2. Legal Documents (22.3%): Lawyers uploading contracts to summarize lengthy clauses.
3. Mergers & Acquisitions (12.6%): Executives asking for analysis on secret takeover deals.

“Employees treat AI like a trusted colleague,” says a cybersecurity analyst. “They forget that the ‘colleague’ is actually a public server that learns from their input.”

The Real Culprit: “Free” Personal Accounts

Here is the biggest headache for IT managers: Shadow IT.

The report found that 87% of sensitive leaks come from employees using their personal, free ChatGPT accounts.

The Loophole:
Even if a company has a secure, enterprise-grade AI tool, employees often bypass it because they are used to their personal accounts. They log in with Gmail, paste the company data, and hit enter—completely bypassing corporate firewalls and data logging systems.

The China Factor: DeepSeek on the Rise

Another emerging risk identified in the report is the rise of non-Western AI models.

Approximately 4% of corporate prompts are now being directed to DeepSeek, a powerful AI model based in China.

This raises significant geopolitical and data governance concerns. European companies inadvertently sending data to servers in China could be violating GDPR and risking industrial espionage, often without the employee even realizing where the app is hosted.

Key Takeaways

• The Stat: 71% of corporate AI leaks come from ChatGPT.
• The Risk: 30% of leaks involve proprietary software code.
• The Cause: Employees using personal “Free” accounts bypass security.
• The Fix: Bans don’t work; companies need secure, sanctioned AI alternatives.

Dutch Learning Corner

Source / Tech: Harmonic Security Report & CyberNews.