Ask Diana: Can You Sue ChatGPT for Roasting You Too Personally?

It all started with an email from an anonymous reader, who was probably a woman. She had an unexpected question: Can I sue ChatGPT for roasting me?

Like many of her friends, she had decided to try the popular trend of asking ChatGPT to roast her. She expected a few funny insults, perhaps some playful comments about her personality or habits. Instead, she was shocked by how personal the response was.

The chatbot had mentioned private information she had shared in earlier conversations. Details she had once shared in confidence had become material for jokes. What should have been a fun exchange left her feeling exposed and humiliated.

She wanted to know whether ChatGPT had violated her privacy and, more importantly, whether she could take legal action.

My response? Well, you did ask ChatGPT to roast you, but you probably didn't expect it to remember so much about your life that the experience would feel like a betrayal of trust. Based on the parts of the conversation you shared, it seems you asked the chatbot to give you a particularly harsh roast. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a cause for celebration.

Jokes aside, her experience raises an interesting legal question: When we share personal information with artificial intelligence, how much permission are we giving it to use that information in the future?

ChatGPT may understand a request to be roasted as permission to make funny, sometimes very personal comments. But unlike a comedian meeting you for the first time, it may use information from earlier conversations, depending on your memory settings.

Something that starts as entertainment can suddenly feel like an invasion of privacy. But does that automatically mean the law has been broken?

Not necessarily.

Giving permission does not always mean giving unlimited permission. You may have shared sensitive information about your marriage, health, finances, or family while asking for advice. You might never have imagined that these same details could later become the subject of a joke.

On the other hand, asking ChatGPT to roast you could reasonably be understood as permission to make personal comments. Whether using information from earlier conversations crosses a legal line depends on the circumstances, the privacy laws that apply, and the platform's terms.

If you are thinking about taking legal action in the UAE, Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection sets out rules for handling personal information lawfully. These include being clear about how information is used, using it only for the stated purpose, and collecting or using no more data than necessary.

However, whether these rules apply to an international AI provider depends on several factors, including which laws apply, any legal exceptions, and the circumstances in which the information was used.

UAE civil law also allows people to seek compensation for emotional or personal harm in certain cases. But there is an important difference between feeling embarrassed and having a valid legal claim. Anyone seeking compensation would need to show that a legal wrong occurred, that it caused harm, and that the two were connected.

Although we may casually talk about suing ChatGPT, legal action would usually be brought against the company responsible for the service, not the chatbot itself. This would depend on which court has authority over the case and the relevant contractual terms.

This makes the situation more complicated.

There is a big difference between ChatGPT making fun of your expensive shopping habits and unexpectedly bringing up a traumatic family experience or private medical information.

The second situation could raise more serious questions about how sensitive personal information is being handled. However, an upsetting response does not automatically mean the law has been broken.

Before considering legal action, I would advise keeping a copy of the conversation, checking your memory and privacy settings, and considering asking the provider to explain how your personal information was used.

We live in a time when more and more people share personal details with artificial intelligence that they might hesitate to tell even their closest friends. These conversations can become very private, covering everything from relationship problems and family disagreements to personal fears and insecurities.

The ability to remember what we share is one reason AI can be so useful. But it also raises an important question: At what point does personalisation become an invasion of privacy?

So, to the reader who wrote to me, my advice is simple: before asking ChatGPT to roast you, remember that it may know a little more about you than you think.

And sometimes, the joke can feel a little too personal.

Diana Hamadeh is a UAE family lawyer and the founder of Diana Hamadeh Attorneys at Law.