EU Brings ChatGPT Under Stricter Rules, Citing Effects on Minors

The European Union has placed ChatGPT under stricter legal scrutiny for the first time, adding the chatbot to the list of services governed by the Digital Services Act. Brussels also designated the gaming network Roblox, which is popular with children, and the discussion platform Reddit as very large online platforms subject to additional obligations and oversight.

The very large designation applies to services with more than 45 million monthly active users in the 27-nation bloc. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, reported more than 159 million users in the EU at the end of March. Roblox reported 46.6 million active players in the bloc, and Reddit more than 57 million users.

The three services now have four months to comply with further requirements. Under the law, these include assessing and mitigating risks related to the dissemination of illegal content, the negative effects on minors, and users' physical and mental well-being, among other concerns.

Why this matters for children and families:

• Generative AI systems used by large numbers of children will face formal obligations to identify and reduce harm to minors.
• The move sets a precedent that observers expect to shape regulatory expectations for other large AI systems in the EU.
• Companies found in breach face fines of up to six percent of annual global turnover and, in serious and repeated cases, a possible ban from operating in Europe.

The original reporting for this account is by Digital Journal (AFP), available at Digital Journal.