Artificial Intelligence | June 22, 2023
Bad news for Google. The Mountain View giant has been forced to delay the launch of Bard in Europe, according to Politico. The reason? The regulator in Ireland has expressed concerns about the privacy of the chatbot, as the company has not provided sufficient guarantees that its AI-powered tool will protect the data of European Union users.
It is important to mention that the Irish Data Protection Commission is responsible for regulating Google’s operations within the bloc. Therefore, if their activities are not well-received by this entity, the tech company faces challenges in moving forward.
According to Irish Commissioner Graham Doyle, Google’s plan was to launch Bard in Europe this week. However, the Commission determined that because the company did not provide detailed information about the operation of the chatbot, they cannot give it the green light.
“At present, the DPC has not received detailed information or an assessment on the data protection impact.”
Essentially, the commission wants Google to provide more detailed information on how Bard ensures compliance with the data protection regulations in force on the continent. As Google did not share such information, the launch has been indefinitely halted.
Fortunately for Google, they still have the opportunity to create a more comprehensive report that will allow them to fulfill their purpose later on. In fact, a company spokesperson stated that they are in contact with regulators to ensure everything is in order and address any concerns regarding Bard’s privacy.
“In May, we said we wanted Bard to be available in more regions, including the European Union, and that we would do so responsibly after engaging with experts, regulators, and policymakers. As part of that process, we have been in discussions with privacy regulators to address their questions and hear their feedback.”
To some extent, Google should not be too surprised by the position of the Irish regulator. Sundar Pichai’s team knew that their AI chatbot would face multiple obstacles in the European Union before seeing the light of day.
Europe is intensifying its efforts to ensure that AI tools comply with all data protection rules. Therefore, Google must adhere to any requirements requested, both by the European Union as a whole and on a country-by-country basis.
The events surrounding ChatGPT in Italy demonstrated that European governments will be strict in regulating AI solutions that rely on user data input. The “problem,” if one may interpret it as such, is that many individuals are providing personal information for various purposes. This raises concerns because it is not always clear where that data ends up and how it is being protected.
In May, Google expressed that its meetings with regulators worldwide, as well as the feedback received from its privacy teams, will be crucial in determining the appropriate time to launch Bard in each country. In this case, the company will have to provide more information if it wants to deploy Bard in Europe.
There is no doubt that companies investing in artificial intelligence must not only focus on improving their technical proposals but also on protecting the vast amount of personal data flowing through them.
It is clear, on the other hand, that a global framework is needed to regulate artificial intelligence. Fortunately, the United Nations is aware of this and has taken action to create a worldwide regulatory body.
