They make life easier, but our favorite digital helpers are quietly learning more about us than we think, and for Ghanaians, that could have deeper implications than we realize.
In 2025, it’s hard to imagine life without our digital assistants. Siri wakes us up, Alexa plays our morning playlist, Google Assistant helps us plan our commute, and ChatGPT helps us to draft proposals and reports that actually sound good.
They’ve become part of our daily rhythm, helpful, fast, and sometimes a little too personal. But behind every cheerful “How can I help you?” lies a far bigger story: these AI assistants are quietly collecting and learning from far more of our data than most people realize. Every “Hey Google,” every prompt typed into ChatGPT, and every reminder set through Alexa, all add up to a detailed digital portrait of who we are, what we do, and what we care about.
As someone who works on privacy issues at a global scale, I see this up close every day. The trade-off between convenience and privacy is no longer theoretical; it’s built into the very systems we use.
AI assistants thrive on data. They need constant streams of user input, our voices, words, and behaviors to get better at predicting what we want. That’s the deal: they serve us, but they also study us. The part we often miss is how deep that study goes, and what happens to that information once it leaves our devices.
Globally, several tech companies describe their data collection as being “for product improvement.” But behind that carefully worded explanation is a much larger process that users rarely understand, especially in regions like Africa, where digital literacy and regulatory oversight are still catching up.
Even text-based AI tools like ChatGPT collect more than just what you type. OpenAI’s own privacy policy explains that user content “may be used to improve and develop services,” including information about how, when, and from where you use the platform. That means that even if you’re simply brainstorming or chatting, you’re also training a system that’s watching your language patterns, timing, and tone. And this isn’t just speculation; it’s well-documented.
In 2019, Amazon admitted that even when users delete their Alexa voice recordings, the company might still keep text transcripts and metadata from those interactions. In 2025, it announced the removal of its “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature, meaning all Echo devices will once again send recordings to the cloud for processing. ChatGPT too stores user interactions and metadata by default, using them to train future models unless users actively opt out of; something most free users are unaware of.
Independent research has repeatedly shown how much more is being collected behind the scenes. A 2021 study known as SkillVet analyzed nearly 200,000 Alexa “skills”, and found that 43 percent requested more permissions or data than they needed. Many had vague or broken privacy disclosures. A 2024 academic paper, LLM Apps Data Exposure, looked at third-party apps built on ChatGPT and discovered that some collected sensitive data like passwords and browsing behavior without clear disclosure.
All of this information is publicly available through privacy policies, research papers, and even congressional testimonies, yet most users never see it.
For Ghanaians, this matters more than we might think. Across the continent, AI adoption is accelerating. Smart devices, smart TVs, and digital assistants are becoming more affordable and more common. People use ChatGPT and similar tools daily to write, study, run businesses, and plan events. Yet, while our participation in the digital economy grows, our local data protection systems are still maturing.
Ghana’s Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), was ahead of its time when it was passed, but enforcement has lagged behind technological change. Regulators are underfunded, and public awareness remains low. That means multinational tech companies operating in Ghana and across
Africa often handle African user data without the same level of scrutiny or legal accountability they face in Europe or North America.
Where does the data go? How long is it stored? Who else gets to see it?
These are basic privacy questions that go unanswered too often.
Even when users “consent,” it’s usually not informed consent. Privacy policies are long, complex, and designed for legal compliance, not user understanding. We scroll, we click “Accept,” and we move on without realizing that we’ve agreed to global data transfers, indefinite storage, and the use of our words or voices to train future AI systems.
Even when data is deleted, it doesn’t always mean it’s gone. Once data is used to train a model, it becomes part of what’s called “data imprinting.” The system doesn’t remember your specific words, but it retains patterns and lessons derived from them. In other words, your digital assistant might not “remember” your last question, but it remembers something about you.
For African users, whose data is often processed and stored overseas, this raises serious questions about control, representation, and data sovereignty.
From my perspective, I see both sides of this story: the corporate ambition to innovate and the public’s growing unease about being observed. But I also believe this doesn’t have to be a battle. It can be a negotiation if we come to the table well-informed.
For individuals, the first step is awareness. Don’t share sensitive personal information with AI assistants unless necessary. Review your privacy settings, and when possible, choose tools that allow on-device or local data processing.
For policymakers, the challenge is to strengthen and enforce existing laws, demand transparency from global tech firms operating in Africa, and invest in digital literacy campaigns. Privacy should not be a luxury for a few; it’s a right for everyone who goes online.
AI assistants are powerful and genuinely transformative. But as they become part of our everyday lives, we must become more conscious users. The global AI industry is powered by
data, and African voices are part of that power. The real question is whether we’ll let our data fuel global innovation without insisting on fairness, protection, and respect in return.
Until privacy becomes a built-in design principle rather than an afterthought, remember this: your AI assistant might be the most helpful voice in your home, but it’s not the only one listening.
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Antoinette Essilfie is an international Technology lawyer with expertise in AI and Privacy. She has worked with several international law firms, Fortune 500 companies and is currently with a leading Big Tech company. She is a passionate advocate for Privacy and AI Ethics in Africa. She writes about the intersection of technology, law, and human rights, focusing on how global privacy trends affect African users and policymakers.
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