Italian regulators lift the ban on OpenAI's ChatGPT

OpenAI, ChatGPT’s maker, confirmed last week that the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot is available again in Italy after the company met the demands of regulators.

This follows a temporary ban by the watchdogs on OpenAI over privacy violations. The authority had prevented it from processing Italian users’ personal information while it investigated suspected privacy data breaches.

The Italian data protection regulators afterwards stressed a raft of conditions that needed to be met by OpenAI by an April 30 deadline to have the ban on the AI software lifted.

Italy Regulators Set Terms Over ChatGPT Suspension

The Italian data protection watchdog has announced that OpenAI’s ChatGPT can resume operating in the country if the Microsoft-backed company takes ‘useful steps’. Recall that in late March, the Italian data agency temporarily banned ChatGPT and launched an investigation into a suspected breach of p…

TechloyEmmanuel Oyedeji

Following the ban, OpenAI said it has “addressed or clarified the issues" raised by the watchdog and added that it remains dedicated to protecting their privacy. With the ban lifted, ChatGPT can once again be used by Italian users for day-to-day prompt requests.

This recent ban in Italy however is far from the end of the pushback faced by the rapidly developing AI technology. Several regulators in the European Union and even tech leaders have expressed concerns about possible ethical and societal risks associated with the technology.

Other country's regulators including Germany, Canada and France’s data privacy regulator, are also now looking closer at such AI systems and drafting new artificial intelligence-related regulations to moderate its development and use.