ROME/STOCKHOLM — ChatGPT producer OpenAI plans to present measures on Thursday to remedy concerns that led to an Italian ban on the chatbot last week, Italy’s data protection agency Garante said.
Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI took ChatGPT offline in Italy after Garante last week temporarily restricted it and began a probe into a suspected breach of privacy rules.
The agency last week accused OpenAI of failing to check the age of ChatGPT users and the “absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data.”
On Thursday it said it has no intention of putting a brake on developing AI but reiterated the importance of respecting rules aimed at protecting the personal data of Italian and European citizens.
In a video conference late on Wednesday attended by CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI pledged to be more transparent about the way it handles user data and verifies the user’s age, Garante said.
The company said it would send Garante a document regarding measures to respond to its requests on Thursday.
The data authority said it would evaluate the proposals made by OpenAI. A source familiar with the matter said it would likely take several days to assess the contents of the letter.
OpenAI, which is based in San Francisco, did not respond to a request for comment on the agency’s statement.
The ban by Italy has piqued the interest of other privacy regulators in Europe who are studying if harsher measures are needed for chatbots and whether to coordinate such actions.
In February, Garante banned AI chatbot company Replika from using the personal data of Italian users, citing risks to minors and emotionally fragile people. (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm and Elvira Pollina in Milan; writing by Keith Weir; editing by Alvise Armellini, Jason Neely and Alexander Smith)
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