ChatGPT boss vows not to leave Europe – POLITICO

The man behind popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has said his company OpenAI has no plans to leave Europe, after previous comments sparked criticism in the EU capital.

“Very productive week of conversations in Europe on how best to regulate AI! We are excited to continue operating here and of course have no plans to leave,” Sam Altman tweeted Friday.

On Wednesday, Altman reportedly said OpenAI could consider leaving the bloc if upcoming EU legislation on artificial intelligence – known as the AI ​​Act – is too strict. Members of the European Parliament added last-minute requirements to the text to regulate generative AI systems such as ChatGPT. The legislation must now be negotiated with representatives of EU countries before it becomes final.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton criticized Altman’s initial remarks: “There is no point trying to blackmail – claiming that by developing a clear framework, Europe is delaying the deployment of the generative innovation AI. On the contrary! With the ‘AI pact’ that I have proposed, we aim to help companies in their preparation for the European law on AI”, said the French commissioner. tweeted.

OpenAI CEO Altman toured Europe this week and visited countries including the UK, France, and Germany. He met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire.

OpenAI does not yet have an official headquarters in the EU, and French officials are hopeful that Altman will consider moving there, a senior French government official told POLITICO this week, speaking under the cover of the anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. .

The French data protection authority’s strict approach to privacy, along with the five pending complaints against ChatGPT in the country, should not be seen as a problem, the government official said.

“It wasn’t the CNIL that blocked ChatGPT, was it? the official added, referring to the Italian regulator’s decision to temporarily block the popular chatbot for breaching privacy rules.