Germany to Ban ChatGPT for data security issues

ChatGPT launched in November of last year as an experimental AI chatbot that quickly became popular for being human-responsive. Initially running on OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model, ChatGPT was soon used by people to write essays, provide ideas for content creation, simplify complex information, compose poetry, etc. ChatGPT, to serve you better, saves your conversations and also has the ability to retrieve them. OpenAI's privacy policy on the chatbot also states that the company "collects personal information such as name, email address, and payment information when necessary for business purposes." The Italian government recently banned ChatGPT after accusing it of collecting user data "illegally".

Will Germany ban ChatGPT?

It is reported that Germany may soon follow in Italy's footsteps and ban the use of ChatGPT in the country. A Reuters report, originally attributed to the Handelsblatt newspaper, quotes Germany's data protection commissioner as saying the country may ban the viral AI chatbot due to data security concerns.

Referring to the ChatGPT ban in Italy, Ulrich Kelber said: "In principle, such action is also possible in Germany." He further added that this would be under state jurisdiction and didn't really divulge any details about the said plan.

The report further mentions that Germany requested Italy to share more information based on its ban on ChatGPT. In fact, countries like France and Ireland are also considering banning ChatGPT in Italy and want to discuss the country's findings.

"We are following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for their action and we will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities in relation to this matter," a spokesperson for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) was quoted by Reuters.

OpenAI about AI regulations

The New York Times report quoted OpenAI as saying that they are actively working to "reduce personal data in training their AI systems like ChatGPT because they want their AI to learn about the world, not private individuals. We also believe that A.I. regulation is necessary." the company added.

Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO also reacted to the ban via Twitter and called Italy one of his favourite countries in the world. He wrote, "We of course defer to the Italian government and have ceased offering ChatGPT in Italy (though we think we are following all privacy laws). Italy is one of my favorite countries and I look forward to visiting again soon."