AI chatbots leak user data to Google Ads despite cookie opt-outs, study finds

A study reveals that major AI chatbots—Perplexity, DeepSeek, Gemini, Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude—connect to Google Ads even when users reject non-essential cookies, potentially exposing intimate user data to advertisers. The finding raises privacy and regulatory concerns, especially under EU data protection rules, and could trigger enforcement actions or impact user trust in AI platforms.