Hey EU, your new rules for ChatGPT don’t cover chat
The world's most popular chatbot is now under Europe’s stringent regulatory purview. But classifying it as a search engine leaves many of its core functionalities uncovered.
The European Union's new regulations for ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine under the Digital Services Act may seem sufficient to those who view it primarily as a search tool. However, the emergence of generative AI raises numerous questions for regulators, many of which remain unanswered. OpenAI's ChatGPT was classified as a search engine on Monday, facing transparency and risk-mitigation obligations similar to those imposed on major search engines like Google and Microsoft.
Failing to comply could result in fines of up to 6% of OpenAI's global revenue. Nevertheless, the designation is limited to the search engine functions of ChatGPT, leaving many other uses unregulated. Danish socialist MEP Christel Schaldemose, a key negotiator for the law, highlighted risks to children, such as emotional dependency and manipulative design, urging the Commission to clarify how these concerns are addressed.
ChatGPT's versatility has sparked controversy, with concerns about its potential contribution to teen suicides and its role in election integrity and spreading misinformation. The digital services law, established in 2022, did not anticipate the surge in chatbot usage, making it a "hybrid" technology that straddles search engines, online platforms, and even publishers.
As the regulatory process unfolds, experts emphasize the need to extend scrutiny beyond the underlying AI models to the specific design and use cases of chatbots, ensuring effective protection for users facing potential mental health risks and other societal challenges.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
