ChatGPT Could Return In Italy — But Only If OpenAI Meets Some Demands

Almost two weeks ago, Italy became the first Western country to ban ChatGPT, but the tides may soon turn, provided OpenAI meets some of its demands. 

What Happened: On Wednesday, Italy’s data protection agency issued a series of requirements that OpenAI must fulfill by April 30. 

These demands aim to address the agency’s apprehensions regarding ChatGPT, the company’s AI-powered chatbot and to enable the service to resume operations in the country, reported Reuters. 

See Also: Elon Musk Is Upset OpenAI Is Thriving Without Him

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft Corporation MSFT, took its AI-powered chatbot technology offline after the Italian authority called Garante temporarily restricted its data processing and started investigating a suspected breach of privacy rules. 

Garante has now laid out a set of “concrete” demands, which, if OpenAI meets satisfactorily by the end of this month, chatGPT will become accessible in Italy. 

OpenAI has welcomed Garante’s latest move saying the company will work with authorities to make sure chatGPT is available for users in Italy soon, the report noted. 

Italy wasn’t the first country where chatGPT became unavailable for users — China, Iran, North Korea and Russia have also banned chatGPT. 

Why It’s Important: For the uninitiated, OpenAI’s chatGPT technology has been hailed as the next big invention since the advent of the internet. The chatbot can emulate human language and writing styles with remarkable accuracy. 

While it has been applauded by various tech moguls, including Bill Gates, others like Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak have signed an “open letter” asking for the immediate pause of AI trials “more powerful” than GPT-4. 

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