ChatGPT Under Radar Over Privacy Concerns In Japan

Japan’s privacy watchdog warned OpenAI, the tech company behind the ChatGPT chatbot, not to collect sensitive data without people’s permission, Reuters reported.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said in a statement that OpenAI should limit the sensitive data it collects for machine learning, adding it may take further action if it has more concerns.

Japan accounts for third-largest source of traffic to OpenAI

Japan’s privacy watchdog noted the need to balance privacy concerns with the potential benefits of generative AI including in accelerating innovation and dealing with problems such as climate change.

Japan accounts for the third-largest source of traffic to OpenAI’s website, as per data from Similarweb.

Earlier, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in April met Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with an eye to expansion in Japan, ahead of the G7 leaders summit where Kishida led a discussion on regulating AI.

International race to regulate AI

Regulators around the world are trying to lay the groundwork for international AI regulations. Earlier, the digital ministers of the G-7 group of countries dedicated a significant portion of their meeting last month to “responsible AI and global AI governance,” endorsing a risk-based approach similar to that of the EU legislation.

The United States is also throwing its weight behind the effort to develop a global framework, announcing a National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology, which includes sections on the topic of artificial intelligence. Some countries have taken a strict approach towards AI, including banning chatbot services like ChatGPT. Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, and Syria have all banned ChatGPT. Italy also briefly suspended the use of the chatbot in the country.