[ad_1]
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
Wayne McNamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The OpenAI Federal Trade Commission is investigating the maker of ChatGPT to understand whether the company violated consumer protection laws.
The Washington Post, which first reported the news, reported it The FTC’s 20-page civil investigation request, similar to a subpoena, outlines the main points of the investigation. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the authenticity of the document to CNBC. The Federal Trade Commission declined to comment.
The FTC says in the document that the investigation will focus on whether OpenAI “engaged in unfair or deceptive privacy or data security practices” or “engaged in unfair or deceptive practices related to risks of harm to consumers, including reputational harm.” , in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Code.”
Artificial intelligence has become a hot issue in Washington, as lawmakers try to understand whether new laws are needed to protect intellectual property and consumer data in the age of generative AI, which requires huge data sets to learn. The FTC and other agencies have confirmed that they already have the legal authority to pursue harm caused by AI.
The investigation is also an example of the FTC being proactive in its oversight of relatively young technology, in line with Chair Lena Khan’s stated goal of “looking forward” and caring for “next-generation technologies.”
CID is asking OpenAI to list third parties with access to its large language models, its top ten clients or licensors, explain how they hold and use consumer information, how they obtain the information to train their LLMs and more. The document also asks how OpenAI assesses risk at LLM and how it monitors and handles misleading or derogatory statements about people.
CID requests OpenAI to provide information about a file Company bug disclosed in March 2020 This “allowed some users to see addresses from another active user’s chat history” and “may have caused unintended exposure of payment-related information to 1.2% of ChatGPT Plus subscribers who were active within a specified nine-hour period.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has received a standing ovation in Washington up to this point, with lawmakers applauding his openness to discussing the technology and asking for regulations around it. But some AI experts have cautioned policymakers that they need to be aware that the company has its own incentives in articulating its vision of regulation and urging them to include a variety of voices.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
WATCH: Investing in AI: What to consider
[ad_2]
