The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a U.S. federal agency, is following a rather rigorous approach towards OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a cutting edge AI conversation bot. The massive scrutiny lies within a criminal investigative demand (CID) it has put forth, essentially a kind of subpoena that can’t be ignored. The FTC’s angle is to examine if OpenAI has employed “unfair or deceptive privacy or data security practices”. Furthermore, the investigation is also set to discern any potential reputational harm that could have occurred due to said practices. The CID raises key questions regarding OpenAI’s privacy and data security protocol, and implies that financial penalties might very well be under consideration if the company is found to have committed any infractions.
This CID was focused on a variety of concerns and requirements, including the advertising policy, risk assessment, personal information management, and how complaints and feedbacks are catered to. A crucial element being highlighted was OpenAI’s efforts to minimize the risk of circulating false or misleading information about individuals through its language model products. This 20-page document was exhaustive but raises informative questions on the wider issue of data security in the world of AI-led solutions.
The widespread impact of the AI solution, bolstered by backing from Microsoft, was evident when the ChatGPT was debuted in November. A multitude of countries responded with their own investigations, while over 2600 tech figures endorsed a missive asking for a pause on AI development. Among those endorsing this movement was Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak.
Critiques for OpenAI however, do not restrict itself to the ChatGPT consideration. Class action suits have been instigated against the company, primarily claiming scraping of personal data from the web without permission and copyright infringement. Amidst all this, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was called to present his views on AI safety before the United States Senate.
While the tool’s potential for automating communication processes is undeniable, the ethical considerations and potential for misuse are also substantial. The investigation from FTC into OpenAI’s practices exemplifies the legal and ethical dilemmas commonplace in the ever-evolving crypto and AI space. The culmination of this probe would indeed set precedence for future discussions surrounding AI, privacy and data protection.
Source: Cointelegraph
