ChatGPT first AI chatbot facing tougher EU rules

ChatGPT will have to comply with tougher European Union safety rules after Brussels added it on Monday to a list of digital services subject to greater legal scrutiny, making it the first AI chatbot to face the designation.

The EU also designated Reddit and Roblox as “very large” online platforms, a label that brings additional obligations and oversight under the Digital Services Act.

Henna Virkkunen, the EU's technology chief, said ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox would be held to “a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability” in the European Union because of their impact on citizens and society.

The designation applies to platforms and search engines with more than 45 million monthly active users in the 27-nation bloc, the European Commission said. It said ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox had reported meeting that threshold.

The commission said OpenAI's ChatGPT reported more than 159 million users in the EU at the end of March, representing more than a third of the bloc's population. Roblox said it has 46.6 million active players in the EU, while Reddit said it has more than 57 million users in the bloc.

The three services now have four months to comply with additional duties under the DSA. Brussels said these include assessing and mitigating risks linked to illegal content, minors, users' physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, electoral processes and public security.

To bring ChatGPT under the DSA framework, the commission qualified it as a search engine.

Lena-Maria Boswald of the German tech think tank Interface said before the announcement that the expected move would set a precedent and influence regulatory expectations for large generative AI systems used in the EU. She said OpenAI already had risk-management obligations under the AI Act but that the DSA could widen the scope.

The designations come as the EU increases enforcement against large digital platforms. The bloc recently told TikTok to change what it described as addictive design or face heavy fines.

Companies found in breach of the DSA face penalties including fines of up to 6% of annual global turnover and, in serious and repeated cases, a possible ban from operating in Europe. The EU has imposed penalties under the law on Temu, AliExpress and X, including a €120 million fine on X for transparency and other violations.