Google Bard: ChatGPT’s Competition Not Available in EU

Google has launched its new AI assistant, Bard, in 180 countries and regions, but not in Europe. The reason for the delayed launch is due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that is applicable in the EU. Google can’t guarantee that the text robot is compatible with the GDPR, making it unclear when Bard will be officially available in the EU. Italy even blocked ChatGPT for a short time until data protection was readjusted. The GDPR has been active since May 25, 2018, and it is said to have triggered a flood of cookie banners on the web. However, it has also led to billions of euros in penalties on tech companies, including Amazon, Meta, and Google. The EU is also creating the AI Act that provides strict rules for foundation models, such as GPT, requiring more transparency and publishing summaries of proprietary data used for training. Bard is set to become available in Europe by May 2023. Google wants to introduce it responsibly and has exchanged views with experts, regulators, and policymakers, although feedback from regulators is said to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, it seems that Bard may be a long time coming, at least in Europe.