The US competition watchdog is investigating the company behind ChatGPT

OpenAI has received a twenty-page request from the US competition watchdog, the FTC. In it, the government agency requests, among other things, information about how the company is dealing with the risks of its AI models, of which ChatGPT is now the most famous worldwide. The FTC questions whether OpenAI has engaged in unfair or deceptive practices.

Specifically, OpenAI must provide a detailed overview of all complaints that resulted in “consumer reputational damage”, because ChatGPT made “false, misleading, derogatory or harmful” statements.

The FTC also expects insight into the company’s security systems. The question comes after a system bug in March made payment details and conversation history visible to other users.

For several months now, there have been questions about the risks associated with the rise of artificial intelligence. New technology also sometimes conflicts with existing laws. For example, ChatGPT was taken offline for a while in Italy because it would be a violation of European privacy legislation. This led to the age validation feature and the ability for European users to prevent their input from being used to train the AI ​​model.

In the US Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already called for “widespread legislation” and companies involved in artificial intelligence are also calling for slower development and more regulation. During a Senate hearing, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that as well. “My biggest fear is that my industry will do the world a disservice,” he said in May.

The FTC and OpenAI have not yet publicly responded to the request. Who is speaking is Elon Musk. He says the competition watchdog has “absurdly gone beyond what is legally mandated by Congress”.