European privacy watchdog creates ChatGPT task force
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has established a task force on ChatGPT, a move which could pave the way for a common policy on defining privacy regulations on artificial intelligence (AI). Last month, Italy took a unilateral decision to restrict ChatGPT, and Germany's commissioner for data protection suggests that this move could be adopted in Europe's largest economy as well. The Spanish data protection agency also announced earlier this week that it would launch a preliminary investigation into potential data breaches by ChatGPT.
There are concerns from experts, the U.S. government and several other European governments regarding the rapid growth of ChatGPT and similar AI products. To address these concerns, the EDPB decided to form a task force to promote cooperation and exchange information on potential enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities.
The EDPB is an independent body that supervises data protection rules in the European Union, comprising of national data protection watchdogs. The aim of the task force is not to punish or impose regulations on ChatGPT owner, OpenAI, but rather to establish general policies that are transparent.
According to an anonymous source at one national watchdog, member states hope to align their policy positions, but it may take time to achieve this goal. The attendees at Thursday's meeting included policy experts who presented opinions and exchanged ideas. It should be noted that the attendees were not decision-makers.
In summary, the EDPB has set up a task force on ChatGPT to foster cooperation and exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities. The aim is to establish general policies that are transparent, rather than to punish ChatGPT owner, OpenAI.
