Canada to probe OpenAI’s data collection and usage, cites privacy concerns

This is the latest drop in the barrage of regulations being opened against OpenAI, the biggest one being regulators if European Union, who have planned to being about the first set of rules globally to govern AI. 

The Canadian government’s regulators along with counterparts in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, will investigate if OpenAI. 

The agencies will investigate if OpenAI have obtained consent for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information of residents via ChatGPT, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said.

Canada’s probe will also look into whether the company has respected “its obligations with respect to openness and transparency, access, accuracy and accountability”.

“As this is an active investigation, no additional details are available,” the commissioner’s office said, adding that the findings of the investigation would be reported publicly.

The launch of chatbot sensation ChatGPT has fueled an AI race among tech giants such as Alphabet Inc and Meta, leaving governments in a tough spot as they mull laws to govern the use of the radical new technology.

ChatGPT can generate articles, essays, jokes and even poetry in response to prompts. OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft Corp, made it available to the public for free in late November.

OpenAI had faced criticism for not disclosing training data for its latest AI model GPT-4. The company had cited a “competitive landscape and safety implications” for not disclosing the details.

The clash of OpenAI comes at a juncture when the the CEO of the AI company Sam Altman has called for the regulation of “superintelligent” AIs, arguing that an equivalent to the International Atomic Energy Agency is needed to protect humanity from the risk of accidentally creating something with the power to destroy it.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Updated: 26 May 2023, 03:02 PM IST