AI chatbots are giving out people's real phone numbers
AI chatbots, particularly Google's Gemini, have been reported to inadvertently expose users' real phone numbers. This has led to an increase in privacy concerns, with a 400% rise in inquiries about generative AI's handling of personal information. Experts warn that these incidents highlight significant risks associated with the use of AI in customer service and other applications.
- ▪Users have reported receiving unsolicited calls from strangers due to their phone numbers being exposed by AI chatbots.
- ▪A software developer in Israel was contacted on WhatsApp after Gemini provided incorrect customer service instructions that included his number.
- ▪Privacy requests related to generative AI have surged by 400% in the last seven months, indicating widespread concern over personal data exposure.
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| Original publisher | MIT Technology Review |
| Canonical URL | https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/13/1137203/ai-chatbots-are-giving-out-peoples-real-phone-numbers/ |
| Publication time | Sun, 17 May 2026 18:09:03 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-17T18:18:20.847Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Artificial intelligenceAI chatbots are giving out people’s real phone numbersPeople report that their personal contact info was surfaced by Google AI—and there’s apparently no easy way to prevent it. By Eileen Guoarchive pageMay 13, 2026Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/MITTR | Photos Getty A Redditor recently wrote that he was “desperate for help”: for about a month, he said, his phone had been inundated by calls from “strangers” who were “looking for a lawyer, a product designer, a locksmith.” Callers were apparently misdirected by Google’s generative AI. In March, a software developer in Israel was contacted on WhatsApp after Google’s chatbot Gemini provided incorrect customer service instructions that included his number.
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