How governments around the world are reacting to generative AI

OpenAI ChatGPT has been grabbing headlines since its release in November last year. Companies like Google, Baidu and Alibaba have released their own version of such chatbots.

While ChatGPT and generative AI continues to develop further, governments around the world are taking cautious steps toward its adoption. Countries like China and Russia have already placed a ban on ChatGPT. A few countries are looking at regulating its creation and usage. Some of the prominent examples are as follows:

European Union

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), an independent body that oversees data protection rules in the European Union, is creating a task force on ChatGPT. The body said in a statement that a dedicated task force will foster cooperation and xchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities.

“The EDPB members discussed the recent enforcement action undertaken by the Italian data protection authority against OpenAI about the Chat GPT service,” the statement said.

As per Reuters, the member states are looking forward to come up with a policy following Italy’s decision to temporarily ban ChatGPT in the country for violating privacy and for not having an age-related restriction on its usage. After Italy announced the ban, other EU countries like Germany and Spain indicated that they would probe the smart chatbot. In fact, EDPB’s move to create a task force follows a request from Spain to discuss this matter.

China

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is banned in China. And now China’s cyberspace watchdog Cyberspace Administration of China this week has released draft rules for companies developing generative AI tools like ChatGPT. The body said that tech companies will be held responsible for the “legitimacy of the source of pre-training data” and for ensuring that the content generated by their tools reflect the core value of socialism.

Further, the rules state that the AI must not call for the subversion of state power or overthrowing of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or initiate moves to ‘split the country’. Further, the produced content should not be pornographic or encourage violence and discrimination. They are also restricted from using personal data as part of their generative AI training material.

To be sure, two major Chinese internet companies — Alibaba and Baidu — have already introduced their ChatGPT tools.

USA

The US government under President Joe Biden has begun examining whether regulation needs to be placed on the creation and usage of ChatGPT and similar tools. The Commerce Department has released accountability measures a formal public request for comments on whether such AI models be put through a certification process before they are released. The comments, to be made over a 60-day period, will help US policymakers on how to approach such technology.

“It is amazing to see what these tools can do even in their relative infancy. We know that we need to put some guardrails in place to make sure that they are being used responsibly,” said Alan Davidson, lead, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Commerce Department agency, as quoted by Wall Street Journal.

India

Earlier this month, Union IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the parliament that there is no plan to regulate the growth or set any laws for AI in the country. He, however, said that the government has already started making efforts to standardise responsible AI and even promote the adoption of the best practices. “The government is not considering bringing a law or regulating the growth of artificial intelligence in the country,” he said in a written response in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. 

In fact, in February, a report by Indian Express quoting a senior government official said that India may soon get a ChatGPT-like tool, which has already been demonstrated to Microsoft chief Satya Nadella.

UK

The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) under the UK government released a white paper asking regulators in different sectors to enforce existing AI regulations but has not proposed any restriction on ChatGPT or similar tools.