Italy has taken a step to tighten the leash on artificial intelligence, suspending the use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT with immediate effect. The Italian Data Protection Authority accuses the American tech company of failing to comply with consumer data protection laws. The ban will be lifted once the platform demonstrates compliance with Italian privacy regulations.
The Italian Data Protection Authority, an independent administrative body, believes that ChatGPT illegally collects user data and has initiated an investigation to clarify the tool’s precise functioning and determine if any infringements have been committed.
The Italian authority has criticized the lack of information provided to users and stakeholders about the process of collecting and managing private data on the platform. It also denounces the absence of a legal basis justifying the mass collection and storage of personal data for training the algorithms that manage the platform’s operation.
In addition to these concerns, the Italian authority alleges that ChatGPT’s information does not always correspond to reality, leading to inaccurate personal data processing. The authority also laments the absence of age verification filters for users under 13, exposing minors to inappropriate responses.
Italy has requested OpenAI to report within 20 days the measures taken to comply with the Data Protection Authority’s demands or face a penalty of up to 20 million euros or 4% of their global annual turnover.
The use of artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common, prompting UNESCO to urge countries to implement the Global Ethical Framework on AI without delay. The Framework, unanimously adopted in 2021, aims to maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing the risks it poses.
Recently, Tesla founder Elon Musk and over 1,000 tech researchers, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, called for a pause in the development of advanced AI for at least six months. They claim that this dangerous race is leading to increasingly unpredictable and capable models, posing profound risks to society and humanity.
In the United States, several organizations have also called for the suspension of ChatGPT, citing concerns about experiments with artificial intelligence and privacy violations. Italy is the first country to ban its use.