Source URL: https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/chatgpt-hit-with-privacy-complaint-over-defamatory-hallucinations/
Source: Hacker News
Title: ChatGPT hit with privacy complaint over defamatory hallucinations
Feedly Summary: Comments
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: OpenAI is currently facing a significant privacy complaint in Europe regarding its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, which has been accused of generating false and defamatory information about individuals. The complaint, supported by privacy group Noyb, highlights potential violations of the GDPR, particularly concerning the accuracy of personal data generated by AI. This situation underscores the challenges AI developers face in adhering to data protection regulations while ensuring the reliability of their products.
Detailed Description:
The privacy complaint against OpenAI raises critical issues related to data accuracy and user rights under the GDPR. Here are the major points highlighted in the text:
– **Privacy Complaint Origin**: Noyb is supporting an individual in Norway who discovered that ChatGPT had falsified information about him, claiming he was convicted of serious crimes against his children.
– **Generative AI Concerns**: This incident is part of a broader concern regarding generative AI’s capability to produce made-up information, which can be damaging and defamatory.
– **GDPR Violations**: Under the EU’s GDPR, individuals have rights related to the accuracy of their personal data, which includes the right to have incorrect data rectified. The complaint asserts that OpenAI’s practices violate these rights.
– **Inadequate Disclaimers**: OpenAI’s disclaimer about possible mistakes made by the AI is viewed as insufficient in addressing the serious implications of the false information produced.
– **Legal Implications**: Breaches of GDPR can result in severe penalties, including fines up to 4% of a company’s global annual turnover, which could necessitate changes in how AI products are developed and operated.
– **Regulatory Responses**: Different European regulators have taken varied approaches to handling complaints about generative AI tools, with some cautioning against swift bans and others conducting thorough investigations.
– **Impact on AI Development**: Following previous GDPR complaints, OpenAI made adjustments to its system, including integrating real-time internet searches for user queries—this demonstrates the ongoing evolution and responsiveness of AI tools to regulatory frameworks.
– **Future Compliance Expectations**: Privacy advocates stress that AI companies must recognize and adhere to GDPR obligations, as the implications of false outputs can have lasting reputational damage for individuals.
– **Investigative Progress**: The complaint by Noyb is awaiting a formal investigation by the Norwegian data protection authority, following a pattern of referrals and delays by other regulatory bodies regarding similar complaints against OpenAI.
This situation is crucial for security and compliance professionals as it underscores the growing need for rigorous adherence to data protection laws in AI development, especially with the increasing scrutiny on responsible AI usage. The case exemplifies the importance of not only ensuring data accuracy but also the legal ramifications of failing to do so in the AI landscape.