The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is the latest regulatory body assessing the applicability of ChatGPT amid skyrocketing data privacy concerns regarding the popular artificial intelligence (AI) platform.
The EDPB on Thursday said it would launch a dedicated task force to exchange information and coordinate any potential enforcement actions undertaken by EU data protection authorities (DPAs) concerning ChatGPT. The chatbot, created by OpenAI and launched in November, is programmed to interact with users in a conversational manner and can discuss and write about thousands of topics.
The EDPB’s action follows the ban of ChatGPT in Italy by the country’s DPA, which alleged the platform doesn’t have effective controls to stop it from interacting with young children without parents’ permission and other violations of EU data privacy laws. In the aftermath of the Italian DPA’s March 31 announcement, data protection officials in France, Germany, Ireland, and Spain have suggested the countries were considering similar bans.
The EDPB serves as the overarching overseer of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is aimed at ensuring the privacy rights of EU citizens. The European Union is expected to finalize a new law aimed at regulating AI use this year.
Concerns in the United States regarding generative AI platforms like ChatGPT are also heating up. The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Tuesday it is seeking public comments by June 12 about appropriate audits, assessments, certifications, and other mechanisms to create earned trust in AI systems.
The Federal Trade Commission received a complaint March 30 from the Center for AI and Digital Policy that the agency should not allow OpenAI to release any new versions of ChatGPT. The center’s president, Marc Rotenberg, signed his name to a widely circulated letter along with Elon Musk and other tech business leaders calling for a six-month pause to AI experiments.
Canada has also launched an investigation into ChatGPT after receiving a complaint alleging the platform collected, used, and disclosed personal information without consent, Philippe Dufresne, the country’s privacy commissioner, announced April 4.
“We need to keep up with—and stay ahead of—fast-moving technological advances, and that is one of my key focus areas as commissioner,” he said.
ChatGPT is banned in China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
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