OpenAI could leave Europe without ChatGPT due to its excessive regulatory zeal
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 4:46 am
ChatGPT, the famous chatbot from OpenAI , has contributed to the emergence of a technology, artificial intelligence (AI), which has been hibernating for decades and which in the space of just a few months has not only awakened from its slumber but has also evolved at an absolutely frenetic pace. This tool , which recently landed on iOS in the form of an application and will soon do so on Android, has become an absolutely essential "must" for millions of people across the globe.
However, in order for ChatGPT , which has cultivated such deep roots in the habits of so many people in such a short time, it could stop operating in Europe. This is what Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, suggested at an event held at University College London.
Altman , who is currently on a tour of Europe, has warned that ChatGPT could stop working in the old continent due to the new AI Law of the European Union , whose draft does not convince the head of OpenAI.
This regulation , which is currently under review and should be approved in June, classifies the uses of AI based on their risk in order to impose more or less strict obligations. And the text labels the large language models in which tools such as ChatGPT are anchored as "high risk." This would force OpenAI to adapt to the transparency and management criteria and also submit to external audits with the ultimate goal of monitoring the data used by ChatGPT.
Altman wants to force changes in the AI Law that the EU is preparing
The fact that the EU's AI law is so strict has upset Altman . "We may or may not be able to meet those requirements. If we can meet them, we will, and if we can't, we will stop operating... We will try, but there are technical limits to what is possible," Altman warned.
Under the new EU rule, OpenAI would be required to disclose full details of its AI system , including “the computing power required, training time, and other relevant information related to the size and power of the model.”
OpenAI provided this type of information at the beginning, but as its project grew, it stopped deploying such information to safeguard its commercial and competitive value against its rivals. If the Brussels draft goes ahead, the company led by Altman will have to share this type of information.
The AI Act will also force ChatGPT's parent company to disclose summaries of belize number screening the copyrighted data used by the company to train its AI system (something OpenAI understandably prefers to keep a tight lid on).
Given that the new AI regulation could potentially put obstacles in the way of OpenAI's business operations, Sam Altman has recently embarked on a tour of the old continent to hold meetings with European regulators and try to promote changes to the Brussels law. During this tour, the CEO of OpenAI has met with European leaders such as Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish Government, as well as with his French counterpart Emmanuel Francés and the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
According to Altman, the law being prepared by the European Union is “not inherently flawed”, although “the subtleties here really matter”. He would like to see the legislation move somewhere between “the traditional European approach and the traditional American approach”.
OpenAI is certainly not the first US-based Big Tech to use threats to try to soften EU regulations . In 2022, Meta also claimed that Facebook and Instagram could be shut down on the old continent if Brussels did not agree to make a legislative change that would allow the company to continue transferring data on European citizens to the United States.
However, in order for ChatGPT , which has cultivated such deep roots in the habits of so many people in such a short time, it could stop operating in Europe. This is what Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, suggested at an event held at University College London.
Altman , who is currently on a tour of Europe, has warned that ChatGPT could stop working in the old continent due to the new AI Law of the European Union , whose draft does not convince the head of OpenAI.
This regulation , which is currently under review and should be approved in June, classifies the uses of AI based on their risk in order to impose more or less strict obligations. And the text labels the large language models in which tools such as ChatGPT are anchored as "high risk." This would force OpenAI to adapt to the transparency and management criteria and also submit to external audits with the ultimate goal of monitoring the data used by ChatGPT.
Altman wants to force changes in the AI Law that the EU is preparing
The fact that the EU's AI law is so strict has upset Altman . "We may or may not be able to meet those requirements. If we can meet them, we will, and if we can't, we will stop operating... We will try, but there are technical limits to what is possible," Altman warned.
Under the new EU rule, OpenAI would be required to disclose full details of its AI system , including “the computing power required, training time, and other relevant information related to the size and power of the model.”
OpenAI provided this type of information at the beginning, but as its project grew, it stopped deploying such information to safeguard its commercial and competitive value against its rivals. If the Brussels draft goes ahead, the company led by Altman will have to share this type of information.
The AI Act will also force ChatGPT's parent company to disclose summaries of belize number screening the copyrighted data used by the company to train its AI system (something OpenAI understandably prefers to keep a tight lid on).
Given that the new AI regulation could potentially put obstacles in the way of OpenAI's business operations, Sam Altman has recently embarked on a tour of the old continent to hold meetings with European regulators and try to promote changes to the Brussels law. During this tour, the CEO of OpenAI has met with European leaders such as Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish Government, as well as with his French counterpart Emmanuel Francés and the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
According to Altman, the law being prepared by the European Union is “not inherently flawed”, although “the subtleties here really matter”. He would like to see the legislation move somewhere between “the traditional European approach and the traditional American approach”.
OpenAI is certainly not the first US-based Big Tech to use threats to try to soften EU regulations . In 2022, Meta also claimed that Facebook and Instagram could be shut down on the old continent if Brussels did not agree to make a legislative change that would allow the company to continue transferring data on European citizens to the United States.