Higher Standard
ChatGPT will have to comply with tougher safety rules after the EU added it Monday to a list of digital services subject to greater legal scrutiny in Europe, a first for an AI chatbot. Brussels also designated Reddit and Roblox as "very large" online platforms, a label that comes with additional obligations and oversight.
"ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society," EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said. The "very large" designation applies to platforms and search engines with more than 45 million monthly active users in the 27-nation bloc.
The three now have four months to comply with additional obligations under the Digital Services Act, including assessing and mitigating risks related to illegal content, negative effects on minors, users' physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, electoral processes, and public security. To bring it under the DSA's regulatory umbrella, the commission qualified ChatGPT as a search engine.
159 million EU users
ChatGPT reported more than 159 million users in the EU at the end of March, representing over a third of the bloc's population. Lena-Maria Boswald of the German tech think tank Interface said the move would set a "precedent" and "influence the regulatory expectations for every large generative AI system used in the EU." Roblox says it has 46.6 million active players in the EU, while Reddit reports more than 57 million users.
The designations come as the EU has stepped up regulatory enforcement against the world's biggest digital platforms, including many American ones, despite strong US pushback and threats of retaliation. The EU recently told TikTok to change what it deemed its addictive design or face heavy fines.