OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chatbot is now available again in Italy after the company fulfilled a series of requirements from the Italian data protection authority. The regulator ordered OpenAI to temporarily stop processing Italian users’ personal data while it investigated a potential data breach.
OpenAI said that it met all of the regulator’s requirements by the April 30 deadline, and the AI chatbot is once again available to users in Italy.
OpenAI stated that it fulfilled a range of requirements that the Italian data protection authority needed to be met to have the ban lifted. These included updating its website with information about how it collects and uses data for ChatGPT algorithms, offering European Union users a new form to object to their data being used for training, and adding a tool to verify users’ ages when they sign up.
The email sent by OpenAI with the links to satisfy the regulator was in English, and it is unclear whether Italian versions are available.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a conversational AI tool that uses machine learning to generate text responses to queries from users. The AI chatbot has previously faced issues regarding data privacy in other countries, with the Irish Data Protection Commission asking for clarification on how it uses data in February.
The incident highlights the increasing scrutiny that AI-powered tools are facing in Europe regarding data privacy, with regulators such as Garante keen to ensure that EU data privacy laws are being followed.
