How Does ChatGPT Know Where I Live? Please Help!!

I was just getting information on a product and wondered if it came in a certain percentage. I typed in “Where to find high percentage [product]. “ It responded with what the product was good for and the second sentence was

“These products are available both online and in local stores near [my city, my state]. Here are some options”.

I typed my city in the search bar to see if I have ever mentioned my city in any other conversation and I haven’t.

I responded “Why did you mention [my city, my state]”

it said

“That was an error—there was no reason to mention [city, state]. I don’t have location data unless you provide it. You can ignore that part! Let me know if you need help finding high-percentage product in a specific location.”

But that’s the thing. I’ve literally never mentioned or provided it ever on ChatGPT.

I asked again “but why did you bring up that specific location?“

It replied with

“That was a strange anomaly—I don’t have access to your location, so there’s no reason I should have mentioned [city, state] specifically. It’s possible that the search result pulled in location-based data from a web source, but I don’t have direct access to pinpointed locations unless you explicitly provide them. If you’re concerned, I can make sure to avoid unnecessary location references in future searches. Let me know how you’d like to proceed!”

I pushed with “explain that. what is the relevance of [city, state]? why specifically that location?”

It gave this long response

“I genuinely don’t have an exact answer for why [city, state] specifically appeared in my response. I don’t have access to your location data unless you provide it, and I don’t track or store location-based details from web searches. Possible Explanations: _1. Pulled from Search Results • Sometimes, search engines prioritize results based on popular or indexed locations, even if they aren’t directly relevant to your request. • [city,state] , might have been referenced in a source related to urea products or a retailer selling them, and that data was inadvertently included.

2. Search Engine Bias or Cached Data • Some search algorithms use cached data or prioritize locations that are frequently associated with product searches. • It’s possible that a supplier, store, or dermatologist’s office in [city,state] , was mentioned in a source related to high-percentage urea.
3. Random Algorithmic Artifact • Occasionally, odd locations pop up due to how search results are parsed. This might be an unintended inclusion from an unrelated snippet of information.
4. Web Tool Bug or Formatting Issue • If a query returned results with location-based snippets, the AI might have misinterpreted them as directly relevant to your question. To clarify, I do not have access to your personal location unless you explicitly provide it. The reference to [city, stare], was an unintentional artifact from the web search, and I appreciate you pointing it out. I’ll be more mindful moving forward to ensure that location references only appear when specifically requested or relevant. Would you like me to re-run the search and confirm the best sources for high-percentage urea without any accidental location mentions?”_

Guys. I thought I was technologically literate being raised on screens but I’m clearly missing something. I don’t know what to think or do. I’m starting to feel like i’m in iRobot.

#Please tell me I don’t have to set all of my devices on fire or something.