Italy is temporarily blocking the in the wake of a data breach as it investigates a possible violation of stringent European Union data protection rules, the governmentB次元官网网址檚 privacy watchdog said Friday.
The Italian Data Protection Authority said it was taking provisional action B次元官网网址渦ntil ChatGPT respects privacy,B次元官网网址� including temporarily limiting the company from processing Italian usersB次元官网网址� data.
U.S.-based OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, didnB次元官网网址檛 immediately return a request for comment Friday.
While some public schools and universities around the world have over student plagiarism concerns, itB次元官网网址檚 not clear how Italy would block it at a nationwide level.
The move also is unlikely to affect applications from companies that already have licenses with OpenAI to use the same technology driving the chatbot, such as .
The AI systems that power such chatbots, known as large language models, are able to based on the huge trove of digital books and online writings they have ingested.
The Italian watchdog said OpenAI must report within 20 days what measures it has taken to or face a fine of up to either 20 million euros (nearly $22 million) or 4% of annual global revenue.
The agencyB次元官网网址檚 statement cites the EUB次元官网网址檚 General Data Protection Regulation and noted that ChatGPT suffered a data breach on March 20 involving B次元官网网址渦sersB次元官网网址� conversationsB次元官网网址� and information about subscriber payments.
OpenAI earlier announced that it had to take ChatGPT offline on March 20 to fix a bug that allowed some people to see the titles, or subject lines, of other usersB次元官网网址� chat history.
B次元官网网址淥ur investigation has also found that 1.2% of ChatGPT Plus users might have had personal data revealed to another user,B次元官网网址� the company said. B次元官网网址淲e believe the number of users whose data was actually revealed to someone else is extremely low and we have contacted those who might be impacted.B次元官网网址�
ItalyB次元官网网址檚 privacy watchdog lamented the lack of a legal basis to justify OpenAIB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渕assive collection and processing of personal dataB次元官网网址� used to train the platformB次元官网网址檚 algorithms and that the company does not notify users whose data it collects.
The agency also said ChatGPT can sometimes generate B次元官网网址� and store B次元官网网址� false information about individuals.
Finally, it noted thereB次元官网网址檚 no system to verify usersB次元官网网址� ages, exposing children to responses B次元官网网址渁bsolutely inappropriate to their age and awareness.B次元官网网址�
The watchdogB次元官网网址檚 move comes as concerns grow about the artificial intelligence boom. A group of scientists and tech industry leaders published a letter Wednesday calling for companies such as OpenAI to until the fall to give time for society to weigh the risks.
B次元官网网址淲hile it is not clear how enforceable these decisions will be, the very fact that there seems to be a mismatch between the technological reality on the ground and the legal frameworks of EuropeB次元官网网址� shows there may be something to the letterB次元官网网址檚 call for a pause B次元官网网址渢o allow for our cultural tools to catch up,B次元官网网址� said Nello Cristianini, an AI professor at the University of Bath.
San Francisco-based OpenAIB次元官网网址檚 CEO, Sam Altman, announced this week that heB次元官网网址檚 embarking on a six-continent trip in May to talk about the technology with users and developers. That includes a stop planned for Brussels, where European Union lawmakers have been negotiating sweeping new rules to limit high-risk AI tools, as well as visits to Madrid, Munich, London and Paris.
European consumer group BEUC called Thursday for EU authorities and the blocB次元官网网址檚 27 member nations to investigate ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots. BEUC said it could be years before the EUB次元官网网址檚 AI legislation takes effect, so authorities need to act faster to protect consumers from possible risks.
B次元官网网址淚n only a few months, we have seen a massive take-up of ChatGPT, and this is only the beginning,B次元官网网址� Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl said.
Waiting for the EUB次元官网网址檚 AI Act B次元官网网址渋s not good enough as there are serious concerns growing about how ChatGPT and similar chatbots might deceive and manipulate people.B次元官网网址�
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