ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence tool that was developed by OpenAI and launched in November of 2022. The AI enjoys backing by Microsoft and is built on OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 and GPT 4 language models that have been fine tuned over time using supervised and reinforcement learning techniques. OpenAI has recently released the latest iteration of the AI to the market. The release of GPT 4 has sparked a conversation on the internet regarding the capabilities of the AI and its implications. The AI can analyze sentiments, write essays, generate images and even write code. The capabilities of this model are unlimited and this unchecked deployment has caught the eye of some authorities, the first one being the government of Italy.
Italy has since become the first western power to ban ChatGPT within its boarders while citing privacy as the major reason for the ban. According to the Italian data protection authority, the model has some privacy issues and it has since began its investigation into OpenAI. OpenAI on the other hand has assured a prominent media house that it has complied to privacy laws. The ban is however, temporary and is effective for only 20 days while the data protection agency concludes its investigation. Further action from the Italian watch dog will be made when the period lapses.
ChatGPT has received billions of dollars as investment from Microsoft, a factor that could be attributed to its success. Microsoft has since embedded this technology in their search engine, Bing, and made promises to further include it in their office suite applications including Outlook, Excel, Word and Powerpoint. It is important to note that ChatGPT makes use of the internet as of 2021 as its database. Among others, this factor has raised eyebrows around the globe. This issues range from the fact that the uncontrolled deployment of AI could create misinformation over the internet, take away jobs since many will be replaced by this tool with efficiency and the probability of bias from this model.
Several reputable actors in the tech world including Elon Musk have expressed concerns that the rate at which AI is being developed is bound to get out of control. While speaking on a podcast, Elon Musk noted that AI has gone too deep for it to be reversed. He has since called for the suspension of these AI models by the authorities. The Italian watch dog intends to not only block the ChatGPT bot from operation in Italy but also investigate its compliance with the GDPR(General Data Protection Regulation). The GDPR governs data protection and privacy within the EU(European Union) economic region. The Italian Authority has cited a violation in this law where the March 20 data breach experienced by the app exposed user conversations and payment information. The authority also gave a range of reasons to warrant this action among them: the app is not justified to collect information about users so as to train itself and also the fact that the model exposes minor users to answers that are way above what they can process intellectually.
Author’s Sentiments.
The field of AI has in the recent past seen a lot of actors in the technology industry try to compete. Google released its own AI that is only available to users over the age of 18. The number is ever growing but a lot of issues remain unaddressed. The public is concerned whether the tech companies will put profits and market gains over the users’ needs for data protection and privacy. Also, the field of AI lacks sufficient regulation and therefore developments within the sector are unchecked. Italy now joins a list of other countries that have blocked ChatGPT. These countries include China, North Korea, Iran and Russia. Other countries like Ireland and UK are closely keeping track of Italy’s investigation. UK has already iterated that it is keeping a close eye on ChatGPT and any data violations shall be addressed accordingly.
