Italian data protection watchdog Garante is planning to launch a broad review of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and recruit AI experts, reported Reuters, citing a top official.
The news comes after the regulator temporarily banned OpenAI’s ChatGPT over suspected violations of privacy laws, and launched an investigation into the popular AI chatbot.
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Speaking to the news agency Garante board member Agostino Ghiglia said: “We plan to kick off a wide-scope review of generative and machine learning AI applications which are available online because we want to understand if these new tools are addressing issues linked to data protection and privacy laws compliance – and we will start new probes if needed.”
With the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, technology giants including Alphabet and Meta are trying to ride the AI wave.
Meanwhile, authorities across the world are discussing laws to regulate this technology.
“We are looking for three AI advisers because we are aware AI tools are evolving very quickly and we need experts with tech background to help us in our data protection activity,” Ghiglia added.
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By GlobalDataThe development highlights how some regulators are trying to regulate AI using the existing technology.
In case of ChatGPT, Garante invoked provisions of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), specifically those protecting minors and granting individuals the right to request data deletion and object to data usage.
It will be years before a new law to regulate AI is in place.
“That is why we decided to act swiftly with ChatGPT”, Ghiglia noted.
Separately, in a blog post, OpenAI founder Sam Altman, President Greg Brockman and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever called for the governance of AI.
They noted that the existing framework is not adequate for this new technology and suggested setting up a body like International Atomic Energy Agency for AI.
Other suggestions included coordination among those developing such technology and capping the growth rate in AI capabilities.
“In terms of both potential upsides and downsides, superintelligence will be more powerful than other technologies humanity has had to contend with in the past. Given the possibility of existential risk, we cannot just be reactive,” OpenAI’s blog post read.
At an event, Brockman proposed also that OpenAI could adopt the Wikipedia model, in which contributors with various viewpoints interact and agree on the encyclopaedia’s entries.
