The EU privacy watchdog has recently taken action and formed a task force due to the controversial usage of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. Last month, Italy temporarily banned the program over allegations that its gathering of data was a violation of laws regarding privacy. France’s data protection regulator, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), also announced on Thursday that it had initiated a ‘formal procedure’ following numerous complaints.
ChatGPT is a program that is capable of crafting essays, poems and conversations by taking brief cues as prompts. However, its advanced abilities have sparked debate on whether it could become a tool for cheating in exams and risk displacing human workers. Another concern that arises from the usage of ChatGPT is the large stockpile of data required for its functioning, raising further doubt regarding the sources OpenAI uses to gather such data. Matters are further complicated when the GDPR (General data protection regulation) obliges systems to work accurately with personal data.
This concern was highlighted when MP Eric Bothorel filed a complaint to the CNIL, wherein the chatbot had reportedly fabricated details regarding his lifestyle, including his birth date and job history. As a result, Italy made clear a series of preemptive steps such as limiting the usage of ChatGPT and providing a valid basis for data collection. In order to devise an overarching strategy, the Data Protection Board (EDPB) decided to collaborate with regulators and collaborated with the CNIL.
OpenAI, the firm behind the product, ensured that they are committed to protecting people’s privacy and that they believed the bot was within legal boundaries. However, they had to activate a ‘geo-lock’ in Italy to ensure that the product is not used there.
OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP, and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company is supported by high-profile investors such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Tesla and has grown to become the leading AI research lab in the world.OpenAI specializes in the development of AI agents in an effort to solve a range of complex real-world tasks and pave the way for the safe and ethical use of AI-based technology.
Eric Bothorel is a French politician who serves in the National Assembly since 2017 and is a member of the Socialist Party. In 2021, he filled a complaint to the CNIL over concerns regarding the OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. He alleged that a personal data belonging to him was being improperly used and misattributed. Following this news, the EDPB initiated a taskforce to further investigate the OpenAI ChatGPT matter and ensure legal compliance with data privacy regulations.
It is evident that the open use of ChatGPT will potentially have various consequences, ranging from exam cheating to the displacement of human workers. As a result, it is all the more important to keep watch of such development and take the necessary steps to ensure that the data privacy regulations are followed and not violated.
