ChatGPT Enters EU’s Tougher Digital Rulebook: What It Means For OpenAI

ChatGPT will face tougher regulatory scrutiny in the European Union after Brussels added the AI chatbot to its list of digital services subject to greater legal oversight, according to an AFP report. Reddit and Roblox have also been designated as “very large” online platforms.

The “very large” designation applies to platforms and search engines with more than 45 million monthly active users in the 27-member bloc. The European Commission said ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox had reported meeting that threshold.

The three services will now have four months to comply with additional obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s legislation aimed at increasing accountability among major digital services.

What The New Rules Mean For ChatGPT

The additional requirements include assessing and reducing systemic risks linked to the spread of illegal content, the impact on minors, users’ physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, electoral processes and public security, according to the European Commission.

To bring ChatGPT under the DSA framework, the Commission has classified it as a search engine. OpenAI already has risk-management obligations under the EU’s AI Act, but the DSA could widen the scope of those requirements.

Lena-Maria Boswald of German technology think tank Interface said ahead of the announcement that the move would set a precedent and influence regulatory expectations for other large generative AI systems operating in the EU, AFP reported.

Boswald also said OpenAI already has risk-management obligations under the AI Act, but the DSA could broaden the scope.

Reddit, Roblox Also Face Greater Oversight

The wider scrutiny will also apply to Reddit and Roblox. Roblox is a gaming platform that allows users to build and share games, while Reddit is an online forum.

EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox would now face a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the EU because of their large impact on citizens and society, the news agency reported.

The designations come as the EU steps up enforcement against major digital platforms, including several US-based companies. Brussels recently told TikTok to change what it considered addictive design or face heavy fines.

The EU also fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X €120 million ($138 million) last year for breaching transparency obligations and other rules, according to the news agency. The latest move comes despite strong US opposition and threats of retaliation over the EU’s digital regulation of major technology companies.