Google Bard in Europe: a long way off 🚫

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OpenAI isn’t the only company to be closely watched by the European Union on the subject of AI. Last March, its chatbot ChatGPT was banned, then re-authorized in Italy. This time, Google’s chatbot Bard has not been authorized in Europe.

The protection of Internet users’ privacy at stake 🔐

Google had originally planned to launch its chatbot this week in Europe. But that was without considering the Irish Data Protection Commission, responsible for overseeing the GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation.

The watchdog « had not had any detailed briefing nor sight of a data protection impact assessment or any supporting documentation at this point. »

Without sufficient information on how its generative AI tool protects the privacy of Europeans, Google Bard’s application to launch in Europe was deemed incomplete. The regulatory authority is currently awaiting these answers, and has invited the company to rectify the situation as a matter of urgency.

Questioned by Politico, Google confirmed that it was in talks with the European authorities to launch Google Bard in Europe.

“We said in May that we wanted to make Bard more widely available, including in the European Union, and that we would do so responsibly, after engagement with experts, regulators and policymakers, » said a Google spokesperson. « As part of that process, we’ve been talking with privacy regulators to address their questions and hear feedback.”

The vice tightens around AI 👩🏾‍⚖️

With the growing adoption of AI in our daily lives, regulatory authorities around the world are beginning to tighten the regulatory noose. While Italy has already taken the first steps, other countries have followed suit and are now seriously considering AI regulation. It’s a safe bet that similar decisions will be taken in the coming weeks and months.

In the meantime, if you’d like to try out Bard, you can always go through a VPN and locate yourself in a country where the chatbot is accessible, by clicking here.

What do you think of generative AI? Have you already tested one? Tell us in the comments section.

Source : Politico