ChatGPT Bank Access: Privacy & Data Risks Warned

ChatGPT Pro can now access users' bank accounts. This new feature for top-paying customers in the United States began on Friday. Here's the thing: the $200 per month service allows the chatbot to look into checking accounts. Many people already ask ChatGPT about their personal budgets, and now the bot can analyze real financial data. What's interesting is how it works. Users link their finances, and a third-party software layer called Plaid connects to over 12,000 banks and credit card companies. Once linked, the AI retrieves and reads every transaction, from electric bills to car loan amounts. A new reasoning model, GPT-5.5, creates a real-time dashboard, showing exactly where money is going. It can even use your salary information to answer questions like whether you can afford a home in five years. The bottom line is that legal experts are raising concerns about privacy and data protection because ChatGPT has immediate access to raw financial data. Unlike human financial advisors, ChatGPT is not legally bound by fiduciary duty to act in your best interests, despite its interface mimicking a financial planner. This means there are no legal protections if the bot provides bad financial advice that leads to losses.