Italy, the first country to take the initiative in banning OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has proposed a solution that could restore access to the controversial chatbot if OpenAI will enforce measures to protect data privacy and allow users to correct, edit or delete inaccurate information provided by ChatGPT.
On Wednesday, Italy’s Data Protection Authority made it clear that OpenAI will have to accommodate to the user’s data rights, such as GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation, in order to keep the ChatGPT running. This means that the giant AI-driven bot would need to inform the user about their data collection and the possibility to object to it, as well as allowing the user to edit false or inaccurate facts about them revealed by ChatGPT service.
The Authority has asked to implement a system that would identify the age of the ChatGPT user and suggested OpenAI to publish information on their website answering to the logic of the data processing and the user’s rights.According to the statement, OpenAI has until April 30th to execute all these features or else the access to the chatbot in Italy would remain blocked.
In response to the requirements, OpenAI’s spokesperson told Reuters that they are ready to work with the Italian Garante to restore the access. OpenAI also suggested that a younger crowd should be monitored while using their service, since ChatGPT can create false or inaccurate information about individuals, as recently presented in a Washington Post article.
The issue of ChatGPT’s accuracy has been put in the limelight after it fabricated a sexual harassment scandal involing law professor Jonathan Turley. The incident shed some light on the need for educational and technical interventions to prevent misuse of the tool.
While the Italian Garante pushed for more transparency about the data collection and the user’s preferences, the news brought a breeze of relief for OpenAI, who will have to follow a certain set of rules if they want their ChatGPT to ré-enter Italian soil.
