Italy's data protection watchdog has imposed a hefty fine of 15 million euros on OpenAI, a prominent U.S. artificial intelligence company, following an investigation into its popular chatbot ChatGPT. The fine was issued by the country's privacy watchdog, known as Garante, after finding that OpenAI processed users' personal data for training ChatGPT without a proper legal basis, thereby violating transparency principles and failing to provide necessary information to users.
OpenAI has expressed its disagreement with the decision, deeming it 'disproportionate,' and has announced its intention to appeal the ruling. The company highlighted its efforts to collaborate with authorities, including reinstating ChatGPT in Italy after being ordered to cease its operations in 2023. Despite the acknowledgment of its privacy protection measures, OpenAI criticized the fine as being nearly 20 times the revenue generated in Italy during the relevant period.
