The news: The breakneck speed of AI development makes bugs easier to miss and slower to patch, leaving platforms vulnerable to flaws and potentially leaked data. 

This week, Meta revealed it had patched a bug in January that would have let its AI chatbot users access others’ private prompts and responses, per TechCrunch. 

The background: Discovered by security researcher Sandeep Hodkasia during a $10,000 bug bounty program, the error exposed flaws in how Meta’s servers handled user-generated content.

• Meta found no signs of abuse, but the incident highlights risks tied to AI use, especially the exposure of intellectual property and client data. 
• The lack of transparency on the matter, and it surfacing six months later, is cause for concern, especially for businesses inputting client data into Meta’s chatbots.

This latest flaw echoes the concerns of 45% of security professionals who fear AI will enable entirely new forms of attack, per SoSafe.

Move fast and leak things: Meta’s AI app launched in April and immediately leaked some private chats; the new bug confirms security gaps persisted.

Some flaws may go undetected for months unless flagged by outside researchers or caught through bug bounty programs, which not all AI companies offer. That leaves end users—and their clients—vulnerable to unseen leaks and security gaps.

Key takeaway: As AI tools become central to marketing workflows, so do the risks tied to prompt exposure, IP leaks, and client data breaches. Marketers must approach AI adoption with the same scrutiny they apply to any vendor handling sensitive assets.

Marketers should remove or mask personally identifiable information (PII) before using client data in generative AI tools, reducing the risk of reidentification while protecting privacy.