The European Union's central data regulator has announced it is forming a task force to help countries deal with popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, ramping up the pressure on its US maker OpenAI.
Ahead of the announcement on Thursday from the European Data Protection Board, Italy had already issued a temporary ban on the artifical intelligence programme last month over allegations its data gathering broke privacy laws.
Meanwhile, France's regulator also said Thursday that it had opened a formal procedure after receiving five complaints.
This comes as Spain's data protection agency opened an inquiry into the ChatGPT software and its US owner, saying that while it favoured AI development, "it must be compatible with personal rights and freedoms".
ChatGPT can generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts, and has proved itself capable of passing some tough exams.
French watchdog investigating
However, the AI application has been dogged by concerns that its skills could lead to widespread cheating in schools, supercharge disinformation on the internet and replace human workers.
And the chatbot can only function if it is trained on vast datasets, raising concerns about where OpenAI gets its data and how that information is handled.
France's CNIL regulator – regarded as Europe's most powerful – has opened a case after receiving five complaints, one of which was from French lawmaker Eric Bothorel.
He claims the programme had invented details of his life, including his birth date and job history.
On Twitter, Bothorel wrote: "The issue is not banning ChatGPT, it is asking OpenAI to comply with the GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] if the CNIL confirms that it must."
« Le sujet, ce n’est pas bannir ChatGPT, c’est de demander à OpenAi de se conformer au RGPD si la @CNIL confirme qu’il le doit bien. » via @BFMTV pic.twitter.com/qqhdvEDxnL
— eric bothorel (@ebothorel) April 13, 2023
Concerns over data gathering
Under the EU's GDPR rules, which regulate the way organisations collect, store and use personal data, companies are required to rectify inaccurate or incomplete information, as well as justifying collecting it in the first place.
As the first regulator to bar the bot, Italy this week issued a list of adjustments OpenAI would need to implement to get back into the country – not least providing a legal basis for its data gathering.
Europe's central EDPB regulator said its members chose to take action after monitoring Italy's approach.
"The EDPB decided to launch a dedicated task force to foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities," the body said.
After Italy's order to halt ChatGPT, OpenAI has said it is "committed to protecting people's privacy" and believes its tool complied with the law.
The firm added that it had voluntarily geo-blocked its services in Italy.
