Google’s AI Chatbot Blocked Across the EU

According to Insider, plans to roll out Bard, Google’s AI chatbot, across the European Union (EU) were blocked after the Irish Data Protection Commission, Google’s main data regulator in the region. , expressed concerns about privacy.

On June 13, the Commission said that the privacy protections of the general AI engine Google developed were not sufficient to support the launch of this application in the EU under the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR).

According to Ireland’s Deputy Commissioner for Data Protection, Graham Doyle, Google informed the Commission of its plans to release Bard in the EU this week. However, the regulator has yet to receive a thorough explanation or access to a data protection impact assessment or any other supporting documentation that proves Bard complies with EU data protection laws.

A Google spokesperson told Insider that the company has spoken with the Data Protection Commission in recent weeks and shared relevant documentation, but did not explain the specific reasons for halting the plans, or how long it might take for Bard to launch in Europe.

” In May we said we wanted to make Bard available more widely, including in the European Union, and we would do so responsibly, after consulting experts, agencies managers and policymakers ,” a Google spokesperson told Insider. ” As part of that process, we spoke with privacy regulators to address their questions and hear feedback .”

Bard, which was launched by Google in March of this year, is being rolled out gradually. The company says the AI ​​conversational tool is currently available in more than 180 countries and territories.

The Irish Data Protection Commission is responsible for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU. GDPR, a set of data protection rules, gives individuals more control over how their data is used and transferred by businesses within EU member states.

The fact that Google had to stop the Bark launch program further highlights the race between companies to roll out universal AI products and lawmakers trying to figure out how to govern such technology.

OpenAI, the company that develops the ChatGPT application, has also struggled with EU regulators in recent weeks.

The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, said in May that OpenAI could leave the EU if compliance with the proposed AI laws becomes too difficult, which could force general AI companies to save money. expose the materials used to train their large language models. However, Mr. Altman later clarified that OpenAI currently has no plans to leave Europe.