“In the space of a few days, specialists from all over the world and a country, Italy, are trying to slow down the meteoric progression of this technology, which is as prodigious as it is worrying,” writes the French daily Le Parisien.
Many cities in France have already begun with their own research “to assess the changes brought about by ChatGPT and the consequences of its use in the context of local action,” reports Ouest-France.
The city of Montpellier wants to ban ChatGPT for municipal staff, as a precaution," the paper reports. “The ChatGPT software should be banned within municipal teams considering that its use could be detrimental.”
According to the BBC, the Irish data protection commission is following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for its action and "will coordinate with all E.U. (European Union) data protection authorities" in relation to the ban.
The Information Commissioner's Office, the United Kingdom's independent data regulator, also told the BBC that it would "support" AI developments while also "challenging non-compliance" with data protection laws.
ChatGPT is already restricted in several countries, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The E.U. is in the process of preparing the Artificial Intelligence Act, legislation “to define which AIs are likely to have societal consequences,” explains Le Parisien. “This future law should in particular make it possible to fight against the racist or misogynistic biases of generative artificial intelligence algorithms and software (such as ChatGPT).
The Artificial Intelligence Act also proposes appointing one regulator in charge of artificial intelligence in each country.
The Italian situation
The Italian data protection authority explained that it was banning and investigating ChatGPT due to privacy concerns about the model, which was developed by a U.S. start-up called OpenAI, which is backed by billions of dollars in investment from Microsoft.
The decision "with immediate effect" announced by the Italian National Authority for the Protection of Personal data was taken because “the ChatGPT robot is not respecting the legislation on personal data and does not have a system to verify the age of minor users,” Le Point reported.
“The move by the agency, which is independent from the government, made Italy the first Western country to take action against a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence,” wrote Reuters.
The Italian data protection authority stated that it would not only block OpenAI's chatbot, but would also investigate whether it complied with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation.
Protecting minors
It goes on to say that the new technology "exposes minors to completely inappropriate answers in comparison to their level of development and awareness."
According to the press release from the Italian Authority, on March 20, ChatGPT "suffered a loss of data ('data breach') concerning user conversations and information relating to the payment of subscribers to the paid service."
It also mentions the "lack of a legal basis justifying the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of 'training' the algorithms underlying the platform's operation."
ChatGPT was released to the public in November and was quickly adopted by millions of users who were impressed by its ability to answer difficult questions clearly, mimic writing styles, write sonnets and papers, and even pass exams. ChatGPT can also be used without any technical knowledge to write computer code.
“Since its release last year, ChatGPT has set off a tech craze, prompting rivals to launch similar products and companies to integrate it or similar technologies into their apps and products,” writes Reuters.
"On Friday, OpenAI, which disabled ChatGPT for users in Italy in response to the agency's request, said it is actively working to reduce the use of personal data in training its AI systems like ChatGPT."
According to Euronews, the Italian watchdog has now asked OpenAI to "communicate within 20 days the measures undertaken" to remedy the situation, or face a fine of €20 million ($21.7 million) or up to 4% of annual worldwide turnover.
The announcement comes after Europol, the European police agency, warned on Monday that criminals were ready to use AI chatbots like ChatGPT to commit fraud and other cybercrimes. The rapidly evolving capabilities of chatbots, from phishing to misinformation and malware, are likely to be quickly exploited by those with malicious intent, Europol warned in a report.
