ChatGPT blocked in Italy for violating data protection regulations

Italy has become the first western country to temporarily block ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, over data privacy concerns. The country's Data Protection Authority said US firm OpenAI had no legal basis to justify "the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of ‘training’ the algorithms."

ChatGPT was released last year and caused a global sensation for its ability to generate essays, songs, exams, and even news articles from brief prompts. However, critics have long fretted over its data sources and processing methods.

Universities and some education authorities have already banned the chatbot, fearing it could be used to cheat in exams. Meanwhile, hundreds of experts and industry figures signed an open letter calling for a pause in the development of powerful AI systems, citing their "profound risks to society and humanity."

OpenAI has not yet commented on the Italian decision, which imposes a "temporary limitation of the processing of Italian user data" and launches an investigation. The firm has been given 20 days to respond and could face a fine of up to 4% of annual revenue.

ChatGPT's success garnered OpenAI a multibillion-dollar deal with Microsoft and sparked a gold rush among other tech firms and venture capitalists. However, data privacy concerns and the lack of transparency over data sources continue to be major issues in the development of powerful AI systems.