ChatGPT is set to face tougher safety requirements in the European Union after regulators placed the AI chatbot on a list of digital services subject to heightened legal scrutiny — the first time such rules have been applied to a chatbot.
The European Commission also classified Reddit and Roblox as “very large” online platforms, bringing them under a regime of expanded oversight and additional legal duties.
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“ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society,” EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said.
The “very large” category covers online platforms and search engines with more than 45 million monthly active users across the 27-member bloc. The commission said ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox had each reported reaching that threshold.
Roblox, alongside Reddit, will also face tougher EU scrutiny
The designation requires companies to “assess and mitigate the systemic risks stemming from their service and algorithmic systems related to the dissemination of illegal content, the negative effects on minors, users’ physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, electoral processes and public security,” Brussels said.
The commission brought ChatGPT within the scope of the Digital Services Act by classifying it as a search engine.
Lena-Maria Boswald, of the German technology thinktank Interface, said before the announcement that the decision would establish a “precedent” and “influence the regulatory expectations for every large generative AI system used in the EU”.
“OpenAI already has risk-management obligations under the AI Act, but the DSA could widen the scope,” she said.
The expanded oversight will also cover Roblox, the gaming platform where users create and share their own games, as well as Reddit, the widely used online forum.
The decisions come as the EU intensifies enforcement against the world’s largest digital platforms, including several US-based companies, despite sharp opposition from Washington and threats of retaliation.
Brussels recently ordered TikTok, one of about 30 other platforms on the list, to alter what regulators described as addictive design or risk substantial fines.
Last year, it fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X €120m for violating transparency requirements and committing other breaches.
