I Let AI Track My Life for 7 Days — Here’s What It Really Collected About Me

Why I Tried It

Like most people, I’ve been curious about all the AI tools everyone’s using lately — planners, writing assistants, emotion trackers. So I picked one that looked promising. It promised to help me stay organized and “understand myself better.” I signed up using my Google account and connected it to my calendar, email, and phone notifications.

It felt easy. Efficient. Helpful.

By Day 2 — I Gave It More Than I Thought

To function better, the app asked for more access:

My location

My microphone (for “smart reminders”)

Notifications

My daily screen time

It didn’t seem dangerous. Apps do this all the time. So, like most people, I tapped “Allow.”

Looking back, I realize I barely thought about it.

By Day 3 — It Knew My Patterns

The app started offering feedback:

“You usually scroll social media around 2 PM. Would you like help staying focused during that time?”

It had quietly tracked:

My phone usage

The apps I used

How long I used them

Even when I just looked at my lock screen

Nothing terrible had happened. But something felt… off.

By Day 4 — It Responded Like It Knew Me

When I typed an emotional message to a friend, the AI offered suggestions to calm down.

That’s when I realized it wasn’t just watching my screen — it was watching me.

Based on:

My typing speed

Punctuation

How often I opened and closed apps

It didn’t feel like assistance anymore. It felt like surveillance.

By Day 5 — I Read the Fine Print

I finally opened the privacy policy. Some key lines stood out:

“We may use anonymized data to train our AI models”

“Your data may be shared with partners to improve service delivery”

“Data may remain on our servers even after you uninstall”

Translation?

It could collect everything, keep it, and share it — even after I leave.

By Day 6 — I Tried to Opt Out

I emailed support, asking how to fully delete my account and data. The reply said:

“We retain certain anonymized records for model improvement.”

No full deletion. No way to see what exactly had been stored.

The data was gone — from me, but not from them.

Day 7 — I Uninstalled It. But That’s Not the End

I removed the app, turned off permissions, cleared data.

But even after that, I kept thinking:

How much did it record?

Where is it now?

Is it being used to shape other AI models?

And the truth is: I’ll never know for sure.

Here’s What the AI Collected in Just One Week

Location history (where I was, how long I stayed)

App habits (which ones I opened, when, and for how long)

Typing behavior (speed, tone, even frustration)

Sleep schedule (based on screen usage at night)

Search and browsing patterns

Tone of my messages and emails

All of that was enough to create a digital version of me. And I didn’t even notice.

Why This Matters

We often think of data as “just digital stuff.” But:

Your location tells where you live, work, rest.

Your habits show what you care about.

Your messages reveal your mindset.

When combined, these things are incredibly valuable. Not just to marketers or platforms, but to AI systems being trained for future use.

And once you give that data away, you don’t get it back.

My Advice, If You’re Using AI Tools

I’m not saying you should stop using AI altogether. It can genuinely make life easier and more efficient. But before you try any new tool, pause and ask yourself a few important questions.

What does it need access to? If an app asks for your microphone, location, notifications, or messages, think about why it needs that. The more access you give, the more you’re opening the door to being tracked in ways you may not expect.

Can you actually delete your data later? Many apps promise you can, but in reality, they often keep “anonymized” data or retain copies for future model training. Deleting the app doesn’t always mean deleting your presence from their system.

Is it helping you — or studying you? There’s a big difference between a tool that works for you and one that’s quietly learning from you to sell, predict, or manipulate behavior. Pay attention to which one you’re using.

And finally, who made it? Always look into the company behind the tool. A well-known, transparent developer is usually more trustworthy than a random startup with no real contact information or privacy standards.

Being cautious doesn’t mean being paranoid — it means protecting your future digital self.

I didn’t lose money. I didn’t get scammed.

But I did lose a piece of something important: my digital self.

It happened quietly, with my permission, one “Allow” button at a time.

So be cautious — not scared. But aware.

Not everything free is harmless. Not every smart app is safe.

And not every tool that helps you is doing it just to help.