Japan privacy watchdog warns ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on data collection

Japan's privacy watchdog on Friday said it has warned OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed startup behind the ChatGPT chatbot, to not collect sensitive data without individuals' permission.

The Personal Information Protection Commission in a statement said OpenAI should minimise the sensitive data it collects for machine learning and added it may take further action if it has more concerns.

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The warning comes as regulators around the world are scrambling to draw up rules governing the use of generative artificial intelligence, which can create text and images and whose impact has been compared by proponents to the arrival of the internet.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in April met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and announced a plan to expand services in Japan, ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit where Kishida led the discussion on regulating AI.