The Italian Data Protection Agency announced that it would temporarily bans AI chatbot ChatGPT in the country “immediately” and investigate OpenAI. This action is due to privacy violations, particularly the potential violation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Italian authorities are the first in the world to suspend access to ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that responds to texts conversationally. As a large language model, it bases its knowledge on information accessible through the internet. However, this information is not always collected with explicit consent and may violate GDPR.

The Italian Data Protection Agency claims that OpenAI violates GDPR because it has no legal basis to justify its “mass collection” of personal data. Additionally, since ChatGPT has no age verification, there are concerns that children are at risk of being exposed to “content that is completely inappropriate for their age or awareness.”

Furthermore, OpenAI experienced a security breach on March 20, potentially compromising user conversations and payment methods from ChatGPT. This breach has sparked a GDPR investigation into AI language models.

While ChatGPT and the newly launched LLM GPT-4 have gained worldwide attention for their deep understanding of language patterns and apparent intelligence, concerns have been raised about the potential risks posed by AI if not properly managed. An open letter signed by notable figures, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, called for an immediate halt to all AI testing, stating that it “posed serious risks to society and humanity.”

In response to these concerns, the AI research group CAIDP has called on the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate OpenAI and stop the release of GPT-4. As AI continues to advance, it is crucial to ensure that it is developed and deployed in a way that prioritizes the safety and privacy of individuals.