As per the regulator, Italy’s data protection authority has initiated an investigative process to examine the practice of aggregating extensive personal data from online sources for the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.
Being one of the 31 national authorities for data protection, this watchdog assesses the compliance of AI platforms with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the regulatory framework governing data privacy in Europe.
Earlier this year, the authority temporarily banned the popular robot ChatGPT from operating in Italy due to an alleged breach of privacy regulations.
The examination, as reported by the Roman authority, took place on Wednesday to assess whether online platforms were implementing “appropriate measures” to prevent AI systems from collecting large volumes of personal data for data scraping algorithms.
The regulator emphasized that “following the fact-finding inquiry, the Authority retains the right to take necessary actions, including immediate interventions.”
No specific company was singled out in the statement.
Italy has extended invitations to researchers, AI experts, and consumer organizations to engage in the investigative process and provide their insights or feedback within a 60-day period.
Numerous countries are deliberating on AI governance. German legislators have proactively initiated the development of regulations to set a global standard for a technology that has become indispensable across various sectors. The review guidelines are expected to be finalized by the upcoming month.
Based on a collaborative report obtained by Reuters, France, Germany, and Italy have reached a consensus on the regulation of AI, a development that is likely to expedite discussions at the German level.
