The Italian government has directed OpenAI to present measures to address the concerns that led to the ban of its ChatGPT chatbot in Italy last week.
On Thursday, the country’s data protection agency issued the directive to OpenAI.
The Italian agency, also known as Garante, accused OpenAI of failing to verify the age of ChatGPT users, as well as the “absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data” in order to “train” the chatbot.
OpenAI reacted by restricting access to Italian users.
The agency stated that it has no intention of stifling AI development, but stressed the importance of adhering to rules aimed at protecting the personal data of Italian and European citizens.
OpenAI pledged to be more transparent about how it handles user data and verifies user ages in a video conference, according to the authority.
The company stated that it would send Garante a document outlining the steps it would take in response to its requests.
The data authority stated that it would evaluate OpenAI’s proposals.
The Italian ban has piqued the interest of other European privacy regulators, who are investigating whether harsher measures are required to rein in chatbots and whether such actions should be coordinated.
Garante prohibited AI chatbot company Replika from using the personal data of Italian users in February, citing risks to minors and emotionally fragile people.
