Italy has lifted its block on ChatGPT after temporarily banning the platform over data privacy concerns last month.
“ChatGPT is available again for our users in Italy. We are delighted to welcome them back and remain committed to protecting their personal data,”
ChatGPT generates text in a more sophisticated way compared to the chatbots of the past, based on the written prompts provided. The software was launched in late November and quickly became popular.
However, some critics have expressed concerns about how AI chatbots like ChatGPT collect and process data.
Earlier this month, global tech experts and leaders have recently come together to call on the AI community to “pause” the development of AI solutions such as GPT-4. The experts, which include the likes of Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple and Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and Twitter, said that the AI race is going too rapidly that “no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control.”
Italy was the first Western country to take action against ChatGPT in March, citing concerns about the mass collection and storage of personal data by US firm OpenAI.
The company has since made changes to its policies, including providing information on how it collects and uses training data and implementing a tool to verify users’ age in Italy upon login. The Italian Authority has reportedly acknowledged OpenAI’s efforts to balance technological progress with people’s rights.
