When AI makes false claims about you
Generative AI tools can produce incorrect and unexpected outputs, often called "hallucinations". The UK data-protection regulator notes that when users wrongly rely on these tools for factually accurate information, the result can be reputational damage, financial harm and the spread of misinformation (ICO).
What you can do
- Raise it with the company first. In most cases the UK regulator recommends raising your concern with the organisation first and giving it a chance to put things right (ICO).
- In the UK, ask for a correction: you can challenge the accuracy of personal data an organisation holds about you and ask for it to be corrected or deleted. This is known as the "right to rectification" (ICO).
- Make your request clear: state what you believe is inaccurate, explain how the organisation should correct it and, where available, provide evidence. If you make the request verbally, follow it up in writing. An organisation has one month to respond, which can be extended in certain circumstances (ICO).
- If you are unhappy with the response, complain to the organisation first; if you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the ICO. You can also seek to enforce your rights through the courts, and the ICO strongly advises getting independent legal advice first (ICO).
- In the EU, you can ask a company for access to the personal data it has about you, and ask it to correct data that isn't correct (Your Europe).
- EU rules also apply to search engines: you can ask for links to web pages including your name to be removed from search results if the information is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive (Your Europe).
- If your data-protection rights in the EU have not been respected, you can complain to your national data protection authority, or file a case directly in court against the company (Your Europe).
- Google lets you report content in its products that you believe violates the law or your rights, through its legal removal request forms (Google).
Sources
- UK Information Commissioner's Office, "Your right to get your data corrected".
- UK Information Commissioner's Office, "Check if you can complain".
- UK Information Commissioner's Office, "Generative AI third call for evidence: accuracy of training data and model outputs" (consultation).
- European Union, Your Europe, "Data protection and online privacy".