One Click, Two Years Lost: Professor Loses Research After ChatGPT Setting Change
A German university professor has lost two years of academic work after a single settings change inside ChatGPT permanently erased his saved conversations and project folders, raising fresh concerns about relying on AI tools as long-term workspaces.
Marcel Bucher, a plant sciences professor at the University of Cologne, had been using ChatGPT Plus to manage grant proposals, lectures, exams and research drafts. Over time, the platform evolved into a central archive for his professional output.
The loss occurred when Bucher attempted to disable ChatGPT’s data-consent option, expecting the service to continue functioning without retaining his information. Instead, all chats and project folders were instantly deleted — without warning, confirmation, or recovery options.
Despite repeated attempts across devices and browsers, the data could not be restored. While some materials had been backed up externally, large portions of his work were lost permanently.
The incident, first reported by Nature, has sparked debate among academics about the risks of using AI platforms as primary repositories for critical intellectual work.
