Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how people work, communicate, shop, travel and consume information. From facial recognition and virtual assistants to personalised advertisements and predictive algorithms, AI systems increasingly depend on enormous amounts of personal data. While these technologies can improve convenience and efficiency, their growing ability to collect, analyse and predict human behaviour raises a serious question: could AI become one of the biggest threats to the fundamental right to privacy?

The biggest concern is not simply the amount of information AI collects, but what it can infer from that information. Traditional data collection may record a person’s name, location, search history or purchasing habits. AI can combine these seemingly unrelated pieces of information and identify patterns that reveal much more sensitive characteristics. It can potentially predict a person’s interests, behaviour, preferences, relationships, financial circumstances and even aspects of their personality. This creates a situation where individuals may lose control over information they never consciously chose to disclose.

Facial recognition provides another major privacy challenge. AI-powered cameras can identify individuals in public spaces, sometimes without their direct knowledge or meaningful consent. When combined with large databases and other surveillance technologies, facial recognition can potentially create detailed records of where people go and whom they interact with. Such systems may have legitimate applications in security and law enforcement, but their misuse could transform ordinary public spaces into environments of continuous monitoring.

Generative AI introduces a different dimension to the problem. People increasingly share personal conversations, documents, photographs and other information with AI tools. If users do not understand how their information is stored, processed or used, they may unknowingly surrender sensitive data. The risk becomes even greater when AI systems are integrated into workplaces, schools, healthcare platforms, financial services and government systems, where the information involved can be highly confidential.

AI can also make privacy violations difficult to detect. A person may know that a company has collected their data, but they may not know how an algorithm has interpreted it or what decisions have been influenced by that interpretation. Automated profiling can therefore operate largely behind the scenes. Privacy is not only about keeping information secret; it is also about maintaining control over how information about us is used.

The issue is particularly important in democracies, where privacy is closely connected to individual freedom and dignity. In India, the Supreme Court recognised privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 in the landmark K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India judgment. The challenge now is ensuring that this constitutional protection remains meaningful as technology becomes increasingly capable of analysing personal information.

However, AI itself is not inherently a threat to privacy. The real danger lies in deploying powerful AI systems without adequate safeguards, transparency, accountability and meaningful consent. Strong data-protection laws, limitations on unnecessary surveillance, independent oversight, secure data practices and greater public awareness can help reduce these risks.

The central question is therefore not whether society should stop using AI. It is whether technological progress will happen while respecting individual privacy. If AI can know more about people than they know about themselves, privacy protections must evolve just as quickly. Otherwise, the technology designed to make life smarter and easier could gradually make personal privacy harder to protect.