EU Urges Investigation into AI Chatbots

European Union (EU) consumer protection organizations have urged regulators to investigate artificial intelligence (AI) models underlying popular chatbots.

On Tuesday, according to an AP report, thirteen watchdog organizations warned their national consumer, data protection, competition, and product safety authorities regarding concerns regarding generative AI.

Before introducing the EU’s AI regulation, the organizations recommended that regulators investigate the AI behind systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assess consumer risks and vulnerabilities.

In addition to local officials in the EU, the coalition sent a letter to United States President Joe Biden expressing similar concerns about the potential for generative AI to cause injury to consumers.

Their call to action urged leaders to utilize existing legislation and create new laws to resolve AI-related issues.

They cited a report from the Norwegian Consumer Council that emphasizes the dangers of artificial intelligence chatbots, such as disinformation, data mining, and manipulation.

These warnings were issued immediately after the EU passed its landmark AI Act on June 14. The bill passed with 499 votes in favor, 28 against, and 93 abstentions.

The laws are anticipated to go into effect within two to three years, following individual negotiations with EU member states over the act’s specifics.

They will function as a comprehensive set of guidelines for developing and deploying AI in the European Union.

In the United States, authorities are also considering AI-related regulations. On June 9, two new bipartisan measures addressing transparency and innovation in the industry were introduced.

The United Kingdom’s regulators have called for artificial intelligence regulations to be on par with those governing medicine and nuclear power.