A German plant scientist lost two years of academic work stored in ChatGPT after accidentally disabling data sharing, with no recovery option available from OpenAI.
Marcel Bucher, a professor at the University of Cologne, lost two years of professional work in August 2025 after changing a ChatGPT setting. Writing in Nature, Bucher explained he had integrated the AI chatbot into nearly every aspect of his work, using it to draft emails, analyze student responses, revise papers, plan lectures, and assemble grant applications.
When Bucher temporarily disabled data sharing to test functionality, all his chat history and project folders vanished instantly without warning or recovery options. OpenAI confirmed the permanent deletion was intentional—a built-in feature rather than a bug. Online reaction has been largely unsympathetic, though critics note universities are pushing unproven AI tools into faculty workflows without adequate safeguards.