OpenAI Reopens ChatGPT to Italian Users

OpenAI says its ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot is again available in Italy.

Italy had banned the use of ChatGPT over privacy concerns, but OpenAI says it has fulfilled the demands of the country’s data protection authority.

“ChatGPT is available again to our users in Italy,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement reported by multiple news outlets Friday (April 28). 

“We are excited to welcome them back, and we remain dedicated to protecting their privacy.”

As PYMNTS has reported, Italy last month became the first Western country to outlaw ChatGPT-4 after its Data Protection Authority announced a probe of the chatbot’s alleged breach of General Data Protection Regulation privacy rules and age-verification practices.

The authority claimed that there was “an absence of any legal basis” to countenance the massive data collection and storage of personal information needed to “train” the GPT-4 chatbot and imposed a temporary ban on its use in the country.

The weeks since then have seen a number of governments introduce possible controls for the rapidly growing technology.

For example, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled a new framework of rules on April 13 designed to help the U.S. to regulate and shape the AI industry, while the Biden administration had — days earlier — issued a formal request for comment to shape specific U.S. policy recommendations around AI.

China’s internet regulator has also published detailed measures to keep AI in check, including rules ensuring accuracy and privacy, preventing discrimination and protecting intellectual property rights.

And on April 17, a group of European lawmakers issued a letter saying they want to make sure AI legislation moves “the development of very powerful artificial intelligence in a direction that is human centric, safe and trustworthy,” noting that the issue needs “significant political attention.”

Meanwhile, PYMNTS reported last week that big tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta are adjusting to macroclimate headwinds and an unsure economic footing by taking actions that include investing in AI innovations.

The term “AI” received more than 200 mentions between Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft’s recent earnings calls. And Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said last week that his company was working on an improved large language model (LLM) to power its smart assistant Alexa.

“I think that’s going to really rapidly accelerate our vision of becoming the world’s best personal assistant. I think there’s a significant business model underneath it,” Jassy said.