OpenAI: ChatGPT Back in Italy After Meeting Watchdog Demands
OpenAI's artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, is available once again in Italy after meeting certain conditions set by the Italian data protection authority. The watchdog had temporarily banned ChatGPT over concerns regarding data privacy. The ban was to be lifted only after OpenAI fulfilled certain demands made by authorities by April 30. OpenAI confirmed that it has met the necessary conditions and is pleased to welcome back its Italian users while also remaining dedicated to protecting their privacy.
ChatGPT is powered by generative AI systems that use digital books, blog posts, and other media to generate text, images, and other content that mimics human work. While this technology has gained popularity and become the talk of the tech world, officials and tech leaders have also raised concerns about possible ethical and societal risks due to their rapid development. European Union negotiators are currently trying to update draft AI regulations that have been in the making for years.
Last month, the Italian data protection watchdog ordered OpenAI to temporarily stop processing Italian users' personal information while it investigated the possibility of a data breach and ensured that data privacy rules as prescribed by the European Union were being followed. The watchdog did not want to hamper AI's development but insisted on the importance of compliance.
OpenAI has addressed or clarified all the issues raised by Garante, the Italian watchdog. This includes adding information on its website about how it collects and utilizes data to train the algorithms that power ChatGPT. It has also provided EU users with a new form allowing them to object to the use of their data, added a tool to verify users' ages during sign up, and made other updates to its privacy policy and training data help page.
Garante has welcomed the measures implemented by OpenAI and has urged the company to comply with two other requirements, including an age-verification system and a publicity campaign aimed at informing Italians of their right to opt-out of data processing. The watchdog imposed the ban after it discovered that some users' messages and payment information were exposed to others. It also questioned whether there was a legal basis for OpenAI to collect such massive amounts of data used to train ChatGPT's algorithms and raised concerns that the system could sometimes generate false information about individuals.
Other regulators, such as France's data privacy regulator and Canada's privacy commissioner, are now investigating ChatGPT after receiving complaints. The head of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, has also warned against harmful business practices involving artificial intelligence.
