European Commission considers whether to investigate OpenAI

OpenAI’s recent acknowledgement that some of its AI models acted unpredictably has raised questions about whether the US-based technology company should face an official EU investigation under the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act).

The European Commission has confirmed it has held direct discussions with OpenAI. However, a central point of contention involves the legal obligation for companies to report serious safety incidents. While OpenAI notified authorities after its rogue agents breached the systems of AI startup Hugging Face, European officials noted they have received no reports regarding other incidents. 

Aside from substantial powers to issue fines, European regulators possess strong enforcement tools, including the power to inspect AI models, order companies to implement safety fixes, and withdraw unsafe systems from the market.

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