EU Watchdog establishes ChatGPT working group amid pressure to install OpenAI

The European Union’s central data regulator said Thursday it is forming a task force to help countries deal with the wildly popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, increasing pressure on its US maker, OpenAI.

Italy temporarily banned the program last month, claiming its data collection violated data protection laws, and the French regulator said Thursday it had opened formal proceedings after receiving five complaints.

Spain’s data protection agency AEPD also said it had opened an investigation into the software and its US owner, saying that while it favored the development of artificial intelligence, “it must be compatible with personal rights and freedoms”.

ChatGPT can create essays, poems, and conversations from the shortest prompts and has proven it can pass tough tests.

However, it has been concerned that its capabilities could lead to widespread cheating in schools, increase disinformation online and replace human workers.

And a chatbot can only work if it’s trained on large datasets, raising concerns about where OpenAI gets its data and how it’s processed.

The French regulator CNIL, considered Europe’s most powerful, has opened the case after receiving five complaints, including one from MP Eric Bothorel.

He said the bot had made up details about his life, including his date of birth and work history.

According to the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), such systems are obliged to provide accurate personal data as much as possible.

Italy, the first regulator to block the bot, this week released a series of steps OpenAI would have to take to get back into the country — not least by providing a legal basis for its data collection.

The European central regulator, the EDPB, said its members decided to take action after following Italy’s approach.

“The EDPB decided to set up a special task force to promote cooperation and exchange information on potential enforcement actions by data protection authorities,” the body said.

Following Italy’s order to suspend ChatGPT, OpenAI told AFP it was “committed to protecting people’s privacy” and believed its tool complied with the law.

The company said it had voluntarily suspended its services in Italy.

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