Officially, ChatGPT is banned in Italy. This is a temporary measure that has forced OpenAI to turn off this Artificial Intelligence which has been in the news since the beginning of the year.
The reason is an alleged breach of privacy that worries the Italian Government Data Protection Authority and that, unless it is resolved, ChatGPT will continue to be inoperative in this country.
Concerns about privacy have not stopped increasing
Italy has been blunt with its decision to ban the use of ChatGPT because it has serious Doubts that it is capable of complying with the Data Protection Law. In fact, the agency known as Guarantor, was the first to accuse OpenAI that it was not verifying if the age of the users who were using this chatbot exceeded 13 years. This is very serious, since you can face a million-dollar fine.
It must be taken into account that this Artificial Intelligence has a “absence of any legal basis justifying the collection and storage of personal data”, as Guarantor explains. And it is that it is necessary to train this chatbot so that it can guarantee the protection of privacy that applies to companies and businesses and that it must also do so for this AI.
OpenAI’s response has been clear: “We actively work to reduce personal data in training our AI systems like ChatGPT because we want you to learn about the world, not about private individuals”. However, these guarantees cannot be guaranteed yet and therefore Italy has made the firm decision to stop ChatGPT until further notice.
OpenAI could have to pay 20 million euros
Since the Guarantor company has accused OpenAI, the company has 20 days to appeal. But, in the event that it is shown that there is a significant breach of user privacy, could have to pay up to 20 million euros. A million-dollar figure that would put the company in serious trouble.
And it is that one of the aspects that most raise suspicions about ChatGPT is its lack of transparency, as Johanna Björklund, an AI researcher and associate professor at Umeå University in Sweden, explains. Well, there are many doubts about how OpenAI is training its Artificial Intelligence model.
Other countries where ChatGPT doesn’t work either
Although the news that Italy has stopped ChatGPT is surprising, there are other countries where it is not available either. Some examples are Hong Kong, Iran, Russia or some parts of Africaand it is that what the experts demand are regulations for this Artificial Intelligence that is very recent.
Since the news of its launch came to light, this chatbot has not stopped being a success. Only in January did it reach 100 million active users. This is why its impact on employment, education and also on national security can be very important and because of this it is crucial to pay attention to privacy and data.
Despite everything, the European Commission, which is working on the Artificial Intelligence Law, clarified its position regarding the use of this type of technology. In fact, Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager herself shared on Twitter on March 31 that “no matter what #technology we use, we have to continue to promote our freedoms and protect our rights. That’s why we don’t regulate #AI technologies, we regulate the uses of #AI.”
We will have to see how the situation evolves and if Italy will finally offer the population the possibility of using this chatbot again, since the measure is temporary. But, for the moment, we will have to wait to see how events evolve.
