Austrian data rights watchdog Noyb has initiated a privacy complaint against OpenAI, alleging that its generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, disseminated false information, potentially violating European Union privacy regulations.

The renowned artificial intelligence developer, OpenAI, finds itself under scrutiny following a privacy complaint lodged by Noyb, a data protection advocacy group based in Austria.

On April 29, Noyb lodged the complaint, asserting that OpenAI had failed to rectify inaccurate information provided by its ChatGPT chatbot. According to the complaint, an undisclosed public figure solicited information about themselves from the chatbot, only to receive consistently incorrect responses.

OpenAI purportedly declined the individual's request to amend or delete the erroneous data, citing technical limitations. Furthermore, the company declined to disclose details regarding its training data sources.

Maartje de Graaf, a data protection lawyer at Noyb, emphasized the importance of ensuring the accuracy and transparency of data generated by AI systems. De Graaf stated that if such systems cannot reliably produce accurate and transparent outcomes, they should not be utilized to generate data about individuals.

Noyb has escalated the complaint to the Austrian data protection authority, urging an investigation into OpenAI's data processing practices and its mechanisms for ensuring the accuracy of personal data processed by its large language models.

De Graaf underscored the challenges faced by companies in ensuring compliance with EU data protection laws when processing data pertaining to individuals, emphasizing the necessity for technology to adhere to legal requirements.

Noyb, also known as the European Center for Digital Rights, operates out of Vienna, Austria, with a mission to initiate strategic legal actions and media campaigns that uphold the principles of the European General Data Protection Regulation.

This incident is part of a broader trend wherein chatbots have come under scrutiny in Europe. In December 2023, a study conducted by two European nonprofit organizations revealed inaccuracies in Microsoft's Bing AI chatbot, subsequently rebranded as Copilot, regarding local political elections in Germany and Switzerland.

Similarly, Google's Gemini AI chatbot faced criticism, albeit outside the EU, for generating misleading and inaccurate imagery. Google issued an apology and committed to updating its model in response to the incident.