Italy’s data protection agency said on Friday it had opened an investigation into OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot over a suspected breach of the artificial intelligence app’s data collection rules.
The agency also accused ChatGPT, which is financially supported by Microsoft, of not verifying the age of its users. The application must be restricted to persons aged 13 and over.
The agency said in a statement that it had provisionally banned the use of the chatbot by Italian users. OpenAI did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Since its launch last year, ChatGPT has unleashed a frenzy, prompting rivals to launch similar products and companies to integrate it or similar technologies into their apps and products.
The Italian agency claimed “the absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data to ‘train’ the algorithms underlying the platform’s operation”.
It is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users in January, just two months after launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer app in history, according to a UBS study published last month.
This week, Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, warned of the chatbot’s potential misuse in phishing attempts, disinformation and cybercrime, adding to a chorus of concerns ranging from legal to ethical issues.
Source: CNN Brasil
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