(VOVWORLD) - Canada announced Tuesday it has opened an investigation into the US-based software firm behind ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot.
 ChatGPT chatbot icon of OpenAl Company. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner into OpenAI was opened in response to a "complaint alleging the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information without consent," the agency said.
The move by the Canadian regulator comes amid a growing number of experts calling for increased oversight of AI-powered technology.
On Monday, German commissioner for data protection Ulrich Kelber said Germany might follow Italy's recent ChatGPT ban. The Italian government's privacy watchdog last Friday temporarily blocked ChatGPT chatbot activities in Italy and opened an investigation into the risk of artificial intelligence (AI) applications infringing on privacy.
The privacy watchdogs in France and Ireland said they are in contact with Italy's data regulator to clarify the rationale for imposing the ban and will coordinate with the data protection authority of the European Union (EU) to find a suitable response to the problem.
ChatGPT has created a "technology craze", since being launched last November. The app can answer tough questions, write computer code, compose poems, or write essays, and even help students pass their exams.
Reports by multinational investment bank UBS say that, as of this January, ChatGPT had approximately100 million regular users, making it the fastest growing app in history.