EU privacy regulators are forming a taskforce to investigate ChatGPT, a chatbot created by OpenAI, over concerns of its compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This decision was taken after numerous data protection authorities from across Europe raised issues about whether the chatbot is GDPR-compliant.
On Thursday, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) stated that a dédiçated task force would be established in order to foster cooperation and exchange information about any enforcement action taken against ChatGPT. This follows the temporary ban of the service in Italy after the local data protection authority raised concerns about data storage and processing by OpenAI, its parent company.
In response to this action, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared that they would be deferring to the Italian government and that the service would cease being provided in Italy. Furthermore, the Spanish Agency for Data Protection requested the matter be discussed at the EDPB’s plenary meeting, and recently initiated its own enquiry, as other European privacy regulators have received complaints concerning ChatGPT.
Among these is Eric Botheral, a member of the National Assembly in France who filed a complaint with CNIL, the French privacy watchdog, along with four others. Despite this, the French Digital Minister, Jean-Noël Barro, thinks that the chatbot does not comply with privacy laws; however, Barrot argued against banning it in an interview with La Tribune.
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research lab currently advised by renowned academics and industry leaders. Its mission is to “solve safe artificial general intelligence and ensure the benefits are as widely and evenly distributed as possible.” The company has developed an array of products and services to further its mission, the most notable being ChatGPT.
Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, is an American investor and entrepreneur. He has been a vocal advocator for the implementation of AI in healthcare, a strong supporter of the Human-Centered AI initiative, and an advocate of the OpenAI Charter – a set of values geared towards responsible research into AI. Altman has worked closely with OpenAI to create products that benefit the world, while adhering to the company’s values.
