Privacy authorities in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia are joining their federal counterpart to jointly investigate the company behind ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada announced in April that it was opening an investigation into OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, following a complaint that personal information had been improperly collected, used and disclosed. consent.
The Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec stated in a press release on Thursday that given that artificial intelligence has a vast scope, that its repercussions on privacy are significant and that it affects the entire Canadian population, four authorities have decided to jointly investigate this case.
ChatGPT, which was launched last November, uses information already existing on the Internet to answer users’ questions, in a conversational mode.
Consent and personal data
The joint investigation must make it possible in particular to determine whether the company OpenAI has obtained “valid consent” for the collection, use and communication of the personal information of individuals established in Canada by means of its conversational robot.
The four privacy authorities say they will also investigate whether the U.S.-based company has met its transparency, access, information accuracy and accountability obligations.
The agencies will finally determine whether OpenAI “has collected, used or disclosed personal information for purposes that are acceptable, reasonable or legitimate in the circumstances”.
“As regulators, we must keep pace with rapidly changing technological advancements — and even stay ahead of the curve — to protect Canadians’ fundamental right to privacy,” said Thursday the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Philippe Dufresne.