ChatGPT Becomes First AI Chatbot to Face Stricter EU Digital Rules

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ChatGPT has become the first AI chatbot to be placed under stricter European Union digital regulations after the European Commission added it to a list of online services facing enhanced legal scrutiny.

The EU also classified Reddit and the gaming platform Roblox as “very large” online platforms, bringing them under additional obligations and oversight under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

“ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society,” EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said.

The “very large” designation applies to online platforms and search engines with more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU. According to the European Commission, all three services have crossed that threshold.

The platforms will have four months to comply with additional requirements under the DSA, one of the EU’s key tools for regulating major technology companies and addressing potential online harms.

Among the new obligations are measures to assess and reduce risks linked to the spread of illegal content, potential harm to children, threats to users’ physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, electoral processes and public security.

To bring ChatGPT under the DSA framework, the European Commission has classified the AI service as a search engine.

OpenAI welcomes regulatory engagement

OpenAI, the US company behind ChatGPT, reported more than 159 million users in the EU at the end of March, accounting for more than one-third of the chatbot’s global user base.

The company said ChatGPT was “preparing to meet the additional compliance requirements” resulting from the new designation.

OpenAI’s general manager for Europe, Joost Hageijstein, said safety remained central to the company’s approach.

“Safety is foundational to everything we do,” he said, adding that OpenAI looked forward to maintaining a constructive relationship with the European Commission.

Roblox, which is particularly popular among younger users, reported around 46.6 million active players in the EU, putting it just above the threshold for enhanced regulatory scrutiny.

Reddit, meanwhile, said it has more than 57 million users across the European Union.

EU steps up pressure on Big Tech

The latest designations come as the European Union intensifies enforcement of its digital regulations against some of the world’s largest technology platforms, including major US companies.

The EU has also introduced the Artificial Intelligence Act, considered one of the world’s most comprehensive legal frameworks for regulating AI. The legislation began taking effect in 2024, with various requirements being introduced over several years to address potential risks associated with artificial intelligence.

Lena-Maria Boswald of the German technology think tank Interface said the decision to designate ChatGPT could set an important precedent.

She said the move could influence how regulators approach other large generative AI systems operating in the EU. OpenAI already faces certain risk-management requirements under the AI Act, but the DSA designation could broaden the scope of its regulatory obligations.

Around 30 online services have now been designated for additional scrutiny under the DSA. Most are operated by major technology companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, TikTok, X, Amazon and Shein. The list also includes several adult-content websites and the collaborative online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Companies that violate the DSA can face substantial penalties, including fines of up to 6% of their worldwide annual turnover in serious cases, with repeat violations potentially resulting in a ban from operating in the European market.

The EU has already taken action against several major digital platforms. TikTok was recently ordered to make changes to what regulators described as potentially addictive design features, while Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu and AliExpress and Elon Musk’s social media platform X have also faced penalties for alleged violations of EU digital rules.

The move against ChatGPT signals that the EU intends to apply its increasingly stringent digital regulations not only to traditional social media and technology companies, but also to rapidly expanding artificial intelligence services.