Italy Lifts Ban on OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Italy has reversed the ban imposed on OpenAI’s ChatGPT following the fulfillment of the regulators’ demands by the company. OpenAI has agreed to comply with the demands of the Italian watchdog, Garante in order to lift the ban imposed on ChatGPT in March.
Garante had imposed a ban on ChatGPT after discovering that the messages and payment information of some users were exposed to others. The regulatory agency also questioned the legality of OpenAI's collecting massive data to train the algorithms, and raised concerns about the system's ability to produce false information about individuals.
OpenAI has since met the conditions imposed by Garante by April 30; thus, the ban on ChatGPT was lifted. In a statement sent by email, OpenAI confirmed the re-availability of ChatGPT to users in Italy, adding that the company is dedicated to privacy protection.
The Italian regulatory agency acknowledged the efforts made by OpenAI to comply with data protection legislation, stating that it hopes the company will continue in its efforts. OpenAI’s efforts include the provision of a new form for EU users to object to having their data used for training, adding a tool to verify users' ages when signing up, and providing information on how it collects and uses data that trains the algorithms.
The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT has raised concerns about possible ethical and societal risks. The development has led to the drafting of artificial intelligence regulations by European Union negotiators.
Last week, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina Khan warned that the agency would not hesitate to take action against businesses that use artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT for nefarious purposes.
OpenAI's ChatGPT has gained worldwide recognition, with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt calling it a “watershed moment” for AI.
