Mistral AI Faces Data Privacy Controversy Over Chatbot ‘Le Chat’

The report describes a real complaint filed to the French data protection authority (CNIL) alleging that an AI system (Le Chat) actively exploited personal data without proper consent, constituting a violation of users’ fundamental privacy rights under applicable law. This is a concrete AI‐driven harm (GDPR violation), so it qualifies as an AI Incident.

Mistral’s AI chatbot is being used in a way that likely breaches users’ data-privacy rights under GDPR—charging to disable automatic learning from user inputs—constituting an active violation of fundamental rights (personal data protection). This is a realized harm linked directly to the AI system’s data-handling practices, and a complaint has been filed as a result. Therefore, it is an AI Incident under the category of rights violations.

The event involves an AI system (the chatbot 'Le Chat') whose use has led to a legal complaint for violating data protection laws (GDPR). This constitutes a breach of obligations under applicable law intended to protect fundamental rights, specifically privacy rights. Since the complaint is active and alleges harm through unlawful data processing, this qualifies as an AI Incident under the framework, as the AI system's use has directly led to a violation of rights.

The event involves an AI system (Le Chat by Mistral AI) that uses IP addresses to infer user location and tailor responses, which is a form of AI system use. The lack of transparency and insufficient user control over personal data processing leads to a legal complaint alleging violation of data protection laws (GDPR), which protect fundamental rights. This constitutes a breach of obligations under applicable law intended to protect fundamental rights, meeting the criteria for an AI Incident. The article also references similar practices by other AI chatbots but focuses on Mistral AI's specific shortcomings and the legal challenge, indicating realized harm in terms of rights violations rather than just potential or general concerns.