Italy’s data protection office on Wednesday issued a set of demands to OpenAI, a firm managed by Microsoft Corp, in hopes of allowing the ChatGPT chatbot service to resume operations in the country. The list of requests must be met by OpenAI by the end of the month if the service is to be reopened in the country.
OpenAI had shut down ChatGPT access in Italy two weeks prior, after the Italian surveillance authority placed a temporary ban on its data processing due to suspected violation of privacy policies.
The Garante Authority noted that OpenAI must inform users of the methods and logic behind the data processing of the ChatGPT service in order for it to be made available in Italy once more. It also stated that users must have a way of requesting the deletion of their personal information if it is inaccurately generated by the service.
Furthermore, in order to protect minors and vulnerable persons, the watchdog is asking OpenAI to implement an age verification system by the end of September. OpenAI was not able to comment on the requests at the time.
The Italian move on ChatGPT has sparked interests from other European privacy organizations, who are now investigating ways to moderate chatbot usage and potentially coordinate on the matter. For instance, the Spanish data protection authority has asked the European Union privacy watchdogs to look into the potential privacy risks posed by ChatGPT.
OpenAI, a San Francisco-based start-up, is an artificial intelligence research laboratory founded in 2015 by notable tech industry figures such as Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. With headquarters in Palo Alto, the research lab focuses on machine learning and natural language processing, with emphasis on the development of artificial general intelligence. Aside from ChatGPT, OpenAI also offers services such as GPT-3, an autocompleted text generator, and Grover, a response generator.
Its chairman, Sam Altman, is well known in the tech industry as the former president of Y-Combinator, an American seed accelerator. He is also openAI’s spokesperson, actively discussing the ethical concerns posed by AI systems and its related implications. With Altman’s backing and expertise, OpenAI remains at the forefront of AI research and applications.
