State regulators in Germany have launched an investigation into the privacy practices of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by OpenGPT. Marit Hansen, the Commissioner for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, stated that they are looking into whether the tool has performed a data protection impact assessment, and if their data protection risks are in check. The response from OpenGPT is expected by June 11th.
Other countries in the European Union (EU) have taken similar action. Italy banned use of ChatGPT in late March, citing concerns for user privacy, and will only lift the ban if OpenAI meets its update requirements. France and Spain are investigating the level of compliance with the GDPR, the EU’s set of privacy laws.
ChatGPT collects and displays data from various sources, so it is important to ensure that user’s personal data is not shared inadvertently. Incidents have occurred in the past, and OpenAI had to take the tool offline at one time due to privacy issues.
As cryptocurrency companies are increasingly utilizing AI tools and chatbots, the importance of user privacy is paramount to keep customers satisfied and will limit potential legal repercussions. Visa announced that they are bringing on a software engineer to work on AI and blockchain, while Binance released a ‘Sensei’ user education chatbot to help users understand the basics of cryptocurrencies.
ChatGPT is part of OpenGPT, a development company developing AI tools for businesses and developers. Marit Hansen is the Schleswig-Holstein Commissioner who has called for an investigation into ChatGPT’s privacy practices. She is a dedicated advocate for data safety and seeks to protect its users from possible data misuse.
