OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, has been charged by Italian authorities with violating EU data protection laws. The US company has been given 30 days to respond to the charges.
The firm that created ChatGPT’s artificial intelligence platform, OpenAI, has been “notified of breaches of data protection law,” according to a statement released on Monday by Italy’s data protection agency.
Last year, the watchdog—which was the first in the West to do so—blocked the well-known chatbot for a few weeks.
The European Union’s general data protection rule, referred to as the EU GDPR, was found to have been violated, according to the watchdog’s conclusion, which was based on the “available evidence.”
“OpenAI may submit its counterclaims concerning the alleged breaches within 30 days.”
The watchdog stated that it will “take account of the work in progress” by a task force established by the EU’s primary data regulator to assist nations in addressing ChatGPT-related issues when rendering a final decision in the matter.
The Italian watchdog declared last year that OpenAI lacked a legitimate reason to be collecting and storing a large amount of personal information in order to train the algorithms that underpin ChatGPT.
It also brought attention to the ambiguity around whose data was being gathered.
“We believe our practices align with GDPR and other privacy laws, and we take additional steps to protect people’s data and privacy,” the statement from OpenAI read.
“We want our AI to learn about the world, not about private individuals,” OpenAI said, adding that the company plans “to continue to work constructively” with the Italian authority.
