EU task force to review ChatGPT

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) wants to set up a task force to take a closer look at AI tools like ChatGPT, which is being interpreted as an indication that European data protection officers could set stricter rules for the use of AI.

The Italian data protection authorities in particular got a head start a few weeks ago. Since ChatGPT operator OpenAI couldn’t prove a working age verification for use, and the models behind the AI ​​tool were trained with data from Italian citizens without their knowledge, Italians banned ChatGPT without further details, and set the operator a deadline of late April to present plans for improvements.

ChatGPT is threatened with bans across Europe

Other countries in Europe could follow suit with comparable measures. In Germany, for example, Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Ulrich Kelber announced that his agency was closely monitoring developments in Italy, and an AI task force of data protection officers has taken on the matter, he said. 

Further south, if colleagues come to the conclusion that ChatGPT violates the EU data protection regulation (EU-DSGVO), a ban could also loom in Spain. So data protection officials there have also announced a preliminary investigation in order to shed more light on the practices of OpenAI.

Taking various approaches into consideration, the EDPB task force aims to promote cooperation and exchange of information between multiple data protection authorities. Member states also hope to align their political positions, an insider quoted by Reuters said at a national supervisory authority, who asked not to be named. All of this this will take time and the point is not to punish OpenAI ChatGPT owners or to issue rules, but rather to create general and responsible guidelines that make the use of AI more transparent.

Meanwhile, the EU is currently working on a new legal framework to not only meet the challenges and opportunities of AI effectively, but strengthen trust in these rapidly evolving technologies. It will also be about regulating potential effects on individuals, society, and the economy in the best possible way, and creating an economic environment in which research, innovation and entrepreneurship could flourish. The aim of the European Commission is to increase private and public investments in AI technologies to €20 billion annually.