Google's AI Model Faces EU Scrutiny Over Data Privacy Concerns

Google's AI model faces scrutiny from EU regulators | bobsguide

EU regulators have launched an investigation into Google's AI model, PaLM2, over concerns about potential violations of the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission is examining whether the AI system poses a "high risk" to the rights and freedoms of individuals under GDPR, marking another step in the EU's heightened scrutiny of AI technologies. Google's AI model, PaLM2, has come under investigation by European Union regulators over concerns related to the bloc's stringent data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced it has opened an inquiry to assess whether the model's data processing poses a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" within the EU, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The DPC, acting as Google's lead regulator in the EU due to its European headquarters in Dublin, is focusing on how the AI model handles personal data. PaLM2, a large language model, powers various Google services, such as email summarisation. According to the commission, they are specifically investigating whether Google has adequately assessed the risks posed by the model's data processing activities. Google responded, stating, "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions." This investigation is part of a broader EU-wide effort to scrutinise AI systems and their compliance with data protection laws. Other tech giants have also faced scrutiny in recent months. Elon Musk's platform, X (formerly Twitter), was ordered by the Irish regulator to cease processing user data for its AI chatbot, Grok, following legal action. Additionally, Meta halted plans to use content from European users to train its large language model after "intensive engagement" with the Irish regulator. EU regulators have been increasingly vigilant regarding AI's impact on privacy. In 2023, Italy's data protection authority temporarily banned OpenAI's ChatGPT over data privacy breaches, requiring the company to meet specific demands to reinstate the service. As the EU strengthens its oversight of AI technologies, companies like Google are under growing pressure to ensure that their AI models comply with GDPR requirements and protect user privacy.

Google's AI model is in EU regulator's crosshairs

European Union regulators said Thursday they're investigating one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google's Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It's part of wider efforts, including by other national watchdogs across the 27-nation bloc, to scrutinize how AI systems handle personal data. Google's European headquarters are based in Dublin, so the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator for the bloc's privacy rulebook, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The commission said it wants to know if Google has assessed whether PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 to power a range of generative AI services including email summarizing. The company said it would assist with the watchdog's inquiry. "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions," Google said in a statement. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to "suspend, restrict or prohibit" processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users. Meta Platforms paused its plans to use content posted by European users to train the latest version of its large language model after apparent pressure from the Irish regulators. The decision "followed intensive engagement" between the two, the watchdog said in June. Italy's data privacy regulator last year temporarily banned ChatGPT because of data privacy breaches and demanded the chatbot's maker OpenAI meet a set of demands to resolve its concerns.

Google's AI Model Under EU Lens Over Data Privacy Concerns

European Union regulators have launched a probe into one of the Google's artificial intelligence models (AI) known as Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM2) over concerns about its compliance with the 27-nation bloc's strict data privacy rulebook -- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Google's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Hence, the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator. Ireland's Data Protection Commission has held Google's operations under scanner to ensure compliance with the GDPR, laying a special focus on whether Google processes personal data in its AI model, Associated Press reported. The commission said it is probing whether Google's PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Large language models (LLMs) like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that powers generative AI services, including email summarizing. The investigation dating back to 2023 also seeks to ensure whether Google conducted a necessary data protection impact assessment before handling sensitive information, as required by the GDPR framework when using new technologies to mitigate the impact on personal lives and data. "A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk," the Irish authority added, Euronews reported. Google's probe follows a court case initiated by the Irish Data Protection Commission, which raised concerns that Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) was putting individuals' fundamental rights and freedoms at risk by processing EU/EEA user data to train its AI chatbot Grok. Meta Platforms has put its plans on hold after apparent pressure from the Irish regulators over using content posted by European users to train the latest version of its LLM. Last year, OpenAI's ChatGPT was banned by Italy's data privacy regulators over fear of data privacy breaches and demanded OpenAI meet a set of demands to resolve its concerns.

Google's AI model faces European Union scrutiny from privacy watchdog

LONDON -- European Union regulators said Thursday they're looking into one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google's Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It's part of wider efforts, including by other national watchdogs across the 27-nation bloc, to scrutinize how AI systems handle personal data. Google's European headquarters are based in Dublin, so the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator for the bloc's privacy rulebook, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The commission said its inquiry is examining whether Google has assessed whether PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 to power a range of generative AI services including email summarizing. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to "suspend, restrict or prohibit" processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users. Meta Platforms paused its plans to use content posted by European users to train the latest version of its large language model after apparent pressure from the Irish regulators. The decision "followed intensive engagement" between the two, the watchdog said in June. Italy's data privacy regulator last year temporarily banned ChatGPT because of data privacy breaches and demanded the chatbot's maker OpenAI meet a set of demands to resolve its concerns.

Google's AI model faces European Union scrutiny from privacy watchdog

LONDON (AP) -- European Union regulators said Thursday they're looking into one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google's Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It's part of wider efforts, including by other national watchdogs across the 27-nation bloc, to scrutinize how AI systems handle personal data. Google's European headquarters are based in Dublin, so the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator for the bloc's privacy rulebook, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The commission said its inquiry is examining whether Google has assessed whether PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 to power a range of generative AI services including email summarizing. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to "suspend, restrict or prohibit" processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users. Meta Platforms paused its plans to use content posted by European users to train the latest version of its large language model after apparent pressure from the Irish regulators. The decision "followed intensive engagement" between the two, the watchdog said in June. Italy's data privacy regulator last year temporarily banned ChatGPT because of data privacy breaches and demanded the chatbot's maker OpenAI meet a set of demands to resolve its concerns.

Google's AI model faces down data use inquiry in EU

Privacy regulator taking a closer look at data privacy and PaLM 2 The European Union's key regulator for data privacy, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), has launched a cross-border inquiry into Google's AI model to ascertain if it complies with the bloc's rules. The probe is part of broader efforts by the DPC and its peers in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) in regulating the collection of personal data of EU and EEA subjects into AI models. The DPC is concerned about whether Google fully complied with its Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), an evaluation that EU regulators ask data controllers to perform before they ingest large amounts of personal data in a systemic way. A DPIA defines the scope, context, and purposes of data processing and assesses whether that processing might result in a high risk to the freedoms and rights of individuals. According to the DPC: "A DPIA assessment is a key process for building and demonstrating compliance, which ensures that data controllers identify and mitigate against any data protection risks arising from a type of processing that entails a high risk. "It seeks to ensure, among other things, that the processing is necessary and proportionate and that appropriate safeguards are in place in light of the risks." The obligations to do the assessment fall under the umbrella of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the probe relates to Google's processing of personal data in developing its foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). A Google spokesperson told El Reg: "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions." Google is not alone in having its AI ambitions come under regulatory scrutiny. In August, X agreed to suspend the processing of personal data from posts of EU and EEA users to train its AI Grok against the backdrop of an urgent High Court application. In June, Meta paused its plans to train AI models on EU users' Facebook and Instagram posts in response to a request from the Irish DPC. Using personal data in training and processing prompts is a potential privacy minefield for AI companies as far as the EU is concerned. However, AI models will be of little use to EU and EEA users without that data. For example, what might be culturally significant in the US might not apply in Germany. As this latest inquiry shows, EU and EEA regulators are closely monitoring how the tech giants are training their models and using citizen data. ®

Europe's privacy watchdog probes Google's use of data for AI model

Google is under investigation by Europe's privacy watchdog over its processing of personal data in the development of one of its artificial intelligence models, as regulators ramp up their scrutiny of Big Tech's AI ambitions. Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), said it had launched a statutory inquiry into the tech giant's Pathways Language Model 2, or PaLM 2. PaLM 2 was launched in May 2023 and predates Google's latest Gemini models, which power its AI products. Gemini, which was launched in December of the same year, is now the core model behind its text and image-generation offering. The inquiry will assess whether the company has breached its obligations under GDPR on the processing of the personal data of citizens of the EU and European Economic Area. Under the framework, companies must conduct a data protection impact assessment before embarking on handling such information when the nature of way it is used is likely to pose a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals. This applied in particular to new technologies and was "of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected", the regulator said in a statement. The assessment is being examined in the investigation. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This is the latest in a series of actions by the DPC against the Big Tech firms that are building large language models. In June, Meta paused its plans to train its model Llama on public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram across Europe, following discussions with the Irish regulator. Meta subsequently limited the availability of some of its AI products to users in the region. A month later, X users discovered that they were being "opted in" to having their posts to the site used to train systems on Elon Musk's xAI start-up. The platform suspended its processing of European users' data in August to train its Grok AI model, following legal proceedings by the DPC. That was the first time that the regulator had used its powers to take such action against a tech firm.

Google's AI Model Faces European Union Scrutiny From Privacy Watchdog

LONDON (AP) -- European Union regulators said Thursday they're looking into one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google's Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It's part of wider efforts, including by other national watchdogs across the 27-nation bloc, to scrutinize how AI systems handle personal data. Google's European headquarters are based in Dublin, so the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator for the bloc's privacy rulebook, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The commission said its inquiry is examining whether Google has assessed whether PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 to power a range of generative AI services including email summarizing. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to "suspend, restrict or prohibit" processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users. Meta Platforms paused its plans to use content posted by European users to train the latest version of its large language model after apparent pressure from the Irish regulators. The decision "followed intensive engagement" between the two, the watchdog said in June. Italy's data privacy regulator last year temporarily banned ChatGPT because of data privacy breaches and demanded the chatbot's maker OpenAI meet a set of demands to resolve its concerns. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Google's AI model faces European Union scrutiny from privacy watchdog

European Union regulators said Thursday they're looking into one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission said it has opened an inquiry into Google's Pathways Language Model 2, also known as PaLM2. It's part of wider efforts, including by other national watchdogs across the 27-nation bloc, to scrutinise how AI systems handle personal data. Google's European headquarters are based in Dublin, so the Irish watchdog acts as the company's lead regulator for the bloc's privacy rulebook, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The commission said its inquiry is examining whether Google has assessed whether PaLM2's data processing would likely result in a "high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals" in the EU. Children's personal photos used to train AI models without consent: Report Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 to power a range of generative AI services including email summarising. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to "suspend, restrict or prohibit" processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users. Meta Platforms paused its plans to use content posted by European users to train the latest version of its large language model after apparent pressure from the Irish regulators. The decision "followed intensive engagement" between the two, the watchdog said in June. Italy's data privacy regulator last year temporarily banned ChatGPT because of data privacy breaches and demanded the chatbot's maker OpenAI meet a set of demands to resolve its concerns. Published - September 12, 2024 08:21 am IST Read Comments

Top EU privacy regulator opens probe into Google's AI compliance

Ireland's Data Protection Commission has launched an inquiry into Google's handling of EU users' personal data in developing its AI model, PaLM 2. This investigation is part of broader efforts to regulate data processing in AI development. Recently, social media platform X agreed not to use EU users' data for AI training without consent.Google's lead EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether the search engine giant adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA (European Economic Area) peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC said in a statement. Social media platform X agreed last week not to train its AI systems using the personal data collected from European Union users before they had the option to withdraw their consent following court action taken by the Irish regulator.

Top EU privacy regulator opens probe into Google's AI compliance

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Google's lead EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether the search engine giant adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA (European Economic Area) peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC said in a statement. Social media platform X agreed last week not to train its AI systems using the personal data collected from European Union users before they had the option to withdraw their consent following court action taken by the Irish regulator. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Top EU privacy regulator opens probe into Google's AI compliance

DUBLIN - Google's lead EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether the search engine giant adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA (European Economic Area) peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC said in a statement. Social media platform X agreed last week not to train its AI systems using the personal data collected from European Union users before they had the option to withdraw their consent following court action taken by the Irish regulator. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Europe's privacy watchdog probes Google over data used for AI training

Meta and X have already paused some AI training over same set of concerns. Google is under investigation by Europe's privacy watchdog over its processing of personal data in the development of one of its artificial intelligence models, as regulators ramp up their scrutiny of Big Tech's AI ambitions. Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, said it had launched a statutory inquiry into the tech giant's Pathways Language Model 2, or PaLM 2. PaLM 2 was launched in May 2023 and predates Google's latest Gemini models, which power its AI products. Gemini, which was launched in December of the same year, is now the core model behind its text and image-generation offering. The inquiry will assess whether the company has breached its obligations under GDPR on the processing of the personal data of citizens of the EU and European Economic Area. Under the framework, companies must conduct a data protection impact assessment before embarking on handling such information when the nature of way it is used is likely to pose a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals. This applied in particular to new technologies and was "of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected," the regulator said in a statement. The assessment is being examined in the investigation. A Google spokesperson said: "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions." This is the latest in a series of actions by the DPC against the Big Tech groups that are building large language models. In June, Meta paused its plans to train its model Llama on public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram across Europe, following discussions with the Irish regulator. Meta subsequently limited the availability of some of its AI products to users in the region. A month later, X users discovered that they were being "opted in" to having their posts to the site used to train systems on Elon Musk's xAI start-up. The platform suspended its processing of several weeks' worth of European user data that had been harvested to train its Grok AI model, following legal proceedings by the DPC. That was the first time that the regulator had used its powers to take such action against a tech firm. © 2024 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved Not to be redistributed, copied, or modified in any way.

DPC probes Google's AI model over personal data collection

The DPC has been taking action against multiple companies making AI models, due to concerns they are breaching GDPR when using personal data to train these machines. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) is investigating Google to see if it complied with EU data laws when developing one of its AI models. The investigation is looking into PaLM 2, a foundational model that Google revealed last year at its annual I/O event. At the time, Google said PaLM 2 was being used to power more than 25 of its upcoming products and features. The DPC inquiry will assess whether Google properly followed GDPR when it comes to processing the personal data of EU citizens for the development of PaLM 2. The Irish regulator said investigation is part of a wider effort - "working in conjunction with its EU/EEA peer regulators" - to regulate the processing of personal data for the development of AI models. AI and EU data Large AI models such as PaLM 2 require vast amounts of data to be trained and to perform various tasks effectively. This creates privacy concerns when it comes to personal data being used to train these models. Earlier this year, the DPC took legal action against X - formerly known as Twitter - when the platform started using posts and interactions from its site to train its Grok AI. The DPC said this was not compliant with GDPR, prompting X to permanently suspend processing the personal data of its EU and EEA users. Meta also planned to train its large language models with public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram, but this was met with serious concerns by privacy advocacy group Noyb and eventually the DPC. Meta paused those plans in June after intensive discussion with the DPC. The concerns and actions of the DPC should come as no surprise for these companies. At a conference last year, DPC deputy commissioner Ultan O'Carroll warned companies developing AI technology to be careful when launching their products, especially when the models are trained on public data. "It might be too late for them to change their product when regulators get involved," O'Carroll said. "It's not a closed book at this stage, but I do think there will be more regulation. But at the same time, when it comes to personal data, GDPR is king at the moment." Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Google's AI model under EU regulator's scanner; probe launched over privacy concerns. All you need to know | Mint

This investigation into PaLM2 reflects a wider trend in Europe, where regulators are increasingly scrutinizing the practices of major tech companies regarding AI and data privacy. Earlier this month, the Irish DPC announced that Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) had agreed to cease using user data to train its AI chatbot, Grok. This decision came after the DPC took legal action, filing an urgent High Court application to prevent X from processing user data contained in public posts without consent.

Google's AI Compliance Now Faces EU Regulator Probe: Trouble In Sight? - News18

DUBLIN: Google's lead EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether the search engine giant adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA (European Economic Area) peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC said in a statement. Social media platform X agreed last week not to train its AI systems using the personal data collected from European Union users before they had the option to withdraw their consent following court action taken by the Irish regulator.

Top EU privacy regulator opens investigation into Google's AI compliance

A spokesperson for Google said it takes its obligations under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) seriously and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions Google's lead EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether the search engine adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA (European Economic Area) peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC said in a statement. Social media platform X agreed last week not to train its AI systems using the personal data collected from European Union users before they had the option to withdraw their consent following court action taken by the Irish regulator. A spokesperson for Google said it takes its obligations under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) seriously and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions. Earlier this week the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union threw out Google's appeal against a 2.42 billion euro fine levied seven years for various anti-competitive practices. Also Read European Commission rejects minimum price offers from Chinese EV exporters US and EU discuss value of engagement with India on global challenges Google's AI model faces EU scrutiny from watchdog over privacy rules EU's antitrust crackdown: Apple, Google face major setbacks in legal battle China challenges dim European firms' investment appetite, says lobby group

Top EU privacy regulator opens probe into Google's AI compliance

EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether Google adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA (European Economic Area) peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC said in a statement. Social media platform X agreed last week not to train its AI systems using the personal data collected from European Union users before they had the option to withdraw their consent following court action taken by the Irish regulator. Published - September 12, 2024 04:27 pm IST Read Comments

Ireland's Watchdog Launches Inquiry into Google's AI Data Practices in Europe

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced that it has commenced a "Cross-Border statutory inquiry" into Google's foundational artificial intelligence (AI) model to determine whether the tech giant has adhered to data protection regulations in the region when processing the personal data of European users. "The statutory inquiry concerns the question of whether Google has complied with any obligations that it may have had to undertake an assessment, pursuant to Article 35[2] of the General Data Protection Regulation (Data Protection Impact Assessment), prior to engaging in the processing of the personal data of E.U./E.E.A. data subjects associated with the development of its foundational AI model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2)," the DPC said. PaLM 2 is Google's state-of-the-art language model with improved multilingual, reasoning, and coding capabilities. It was unveiled by the company in May 2023. With Google's European headquarters based in Dublin, the DPC acts as the primary regulator responsible for making sure the company abides by the bloc's stringent data privacy rulebook. The DPC said an inquiry is crucial to ensure that individuals' fundamental rights and freedoms are safeguarded, especially when processing of such data when developing AI systems can lead to a "high risk." The development comes weeks after social media platform X permanently agreed not to train its AI chatbot, Grok, using the personal data it collected from European users without obtaining prior consent. Back in August, the DPC said X consented to suspend its "processing of the personal data contained in the public posts of X's E.U./E.E.A. users which it processed between 7 May 2024 and 1 August 2024." Meta, which recently admitted to scraping every Australian adult Facebook user's public data to train its AI system, has paused its plans to use content posted by European users following a request from the DPC over privacy concerns. It has also suspended the use of generative AI (GenAI) in Brazil after the country's data protection authority issued a preliminary ban objecting to its new privacy policy. Last year, Italy's data privacy regulator also temporarily banned OpenAI's ChatGPT because of concerns that its practices are in violation of data protection laws in the region.

Google PaLM 2 AI model under scrutiny by Irish watchdog Data Protection Commission

This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community. The DPC has launched an enquiry into whether Google Ireland Limited complied with regulations ahead of Cross-Border processing personal data of EU or EEA data subjects when developing its foundational AI model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). Before individual data is leveraged, organisations must complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) to ensure that fundamental rights and freedoms are considered and protected. GDPR states that a DPIA is required where a type of processing, in particular using new technologies, and taking into account the nature, scope, context and purposes of the processing, is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals. A DPIA assessment demonstrates compliance and ensures that data controllers mitigate against any data protection risks arising from a type of processing that entails a high risk. It seeks to ensure, among other things, that the processing is necessary and proportionate and that appropriate safeguards are in place in light of the risks. This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC where they are looking into regulating the processing of personal data in the development of AI models and systems.

Top EU privacy regulator opens probe into Google's AI compliance

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Google's lead EU privacy regulator opened an inquiry on Thursday into whether the search engine giant adequately protected European Union users' personal data before using it to help develop its foundational AI Model. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the lead EU regulator for most of the top U.S. internet firms due to the location of their EU operations in Ireland, said the probe concerned the Alphabet Inc unit's Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2).

Google AI Model PaLM2 Under Probe For Data Regulations Breach By European Privacy Watchdog - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Alphabet Inc.-owned GOOG GOOGL Google's artificial intelligence model, PaLM2, has come under the radar of Europe's privacy watchdog over concerns related to the handling of personal data. What Happened: The Data Protection Commission or DPC, in Ireland has initiated a statutory inquiry into Google and its Pathways Language Model 2, or PaLM2, reported Financial Times. The AI model, which was launched in May 2023, is being investigated for potential breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR obligations related to the processing of personal data of EU and European Economic Area citizens. See Also: Mark Cuban Praises Elon Musk's AI Chatbot Grok For Answering Kamala Harris' POV On Immigration: 'I Think It's Accurate' The investigation aims to ascertain whether Google conducted a necessary data protection impact assessment before handling such information. The regulator underscored the significance of such assessments in safeguarding the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, the report noted. Google did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Why It Matters: This investigation is the latest in a series of actions by the DPC against big tech firms developing large language models. Previously, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms Inc. and Elon Musk's xAI also faced scrutiny over their handling of user data in Europe. This Google investigation comes on the heels of a series of controversies surrounding the tech giant's AI. In April 2024, concerns about Google training its AI on publicly available Google Docs were raised. The tech giant later said that users' documents were not considered "publicly available" for AI training. Previously, several top websites, including The New York Times and CNN, blocked Google's access to their content for AI model training, citing potential threats to the traditional web traffic distribution system. Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Samsung To Reportedly Slash Global Workforce By Up To 30% In Certain Divisions Amid Intense Competition From Apple, Huawei Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Google AI Model Faces EU Data Privacy Investigation | PYMNTS.com

A European regulator is investigating whether Google's artificial intelligence model complies with privacy laws. The impact assessment "is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk," the release said. Reached for comment by PYMNTS, a Google spokesman provided this statement: "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions." The news came the same day that Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland's media regulator, sent notices to several tech companies -- including Meta, TikTok and Google-owned YouTube -- to see if they were complying with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). "Of the complaints we have from people in Ireland and across Europe about online platforms, 1 in 3 are about problems when reporting illegal content online," said John Evans, the regulator's digital services commissioner, in a press release. "We are intervening now to ensure that platforms follow the rules so that people can effectively exercise their rights under the DSA.'' Meanwhile, PYMNTS examined the possible security threats posed by AI models, noting that the increased sophistication of cybercriminals and vast amount of data being generated and stored by businesses to train their in-house AI models has led to a "perfect storm" for data breaches.

Irish regulator to probe Google over training of AI model (NASDAQ:GOOG)

The DPC said it will review whether Google complied with obligations under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, before processing personal data of EU users to help develop its foundational AI model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," said DPC in a press release on Thursday. Last week, the Irish data regulator said it ended court proceedings against X after the social media platform agreed to limit its use of personal data collected from EU users to train its AI model Grok on a permanent basis.

Google's GenAI facing privacy risk assessment scrutiny in Europe | TechCrunch

Google's lead privacy regulator in the European Union has opened an investigation into whether or not it has complied with the bloc's data protection laws in relation to use of people's information for training generative AI. Specifically it's looking into whether the tech giant needed to carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) in order to proactively consider the risks its AI technologies might pose to the rights and freedoms of individuals whose information was used to train the models. Generative AI tools are infamous for producing plausible-sounding falsehoods. That tendency, combined with an ability to serve up personal information on demand, creates a lot of legal risk for their makers. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), which oversees Google's compliance with the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), has powers to levy fines of up to 4% of Alphabet (Google's parent entity) global annual turnover for any confirmed breaches. Google has developed several generative AI tools, including a whole family of general purpose large language models (LLMs) which it's branded Gemini (formerly Bard). It uses the technology to power AI chatbots, including to enhance web search. Underlying these consumer-facing AI tools is a Google LLM called PaLM2, which it launched last year at its I/O developer conference. How Google developed this foundational AI model is what the Irish DPC says it's investigating, under Section 110 of Ireland's Data Protection Act 2018 which transposed the GDPR into national law. The training of GenAI models typically requires vast amounts of data, and the types of information that LLM makers have acquired, as well as how and where they got it, is being increasingly scrutinized in relation to a range of legal concerns, including copyright and privacy. In the latter case, information used as AI training fodder that contains the personal information of EU people's is subject to the bloc's data protection rules, whether it was scraped off the public internet or directly acquired from users. This is why a number of LLM have already faced questions -- and some GDPR enforcement -- related to privacy compliance, including OpenAI, the maker of GPT (and ChatGPT); and Meta, which develops the Llama AI model. Elon Musk owned X has also attracted GDPR complaints and the DPC's ire over use of people's data for AI training -- leading to a court proceeding and an undertaking by X to limit its data processing but no sanction. Although X could still face a GDPR penalty if the DPC determines its processing of user data to train its AI tool Grok breached the regime. The DPC's DPIA probe on Google's GenAI is the latest regulatory action in this area. "The statutory inquiry concerns the question of whether Google has complied with any obligations that it may have had to undertake an assessment, pursuant to Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (Data Protection Impact Assessment), prior to engaging in the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects associated with the development of its foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2)," the DPC wrote in a press release. It points out that a DPIA can be of "crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk." "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC, working in conjunction with its EU/EEA [European Economic Area] peer regulators, in regulating the processing of the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," the DPC added, referencing ongoing efforts by the bloc's network of GDPR enforcers to reach some sort of consensus on how best to apply the privacy law on GenAI tools. Google has been contacted for a response to the DPC's enquiry.

Google's AI Data Protection Practices Probed by Irish Regulator

The Irish Data Protection Commission has opened an inquiry into whether Alphabet Inc.'s Google complied with European Union privacy laws in the development of its artificial intelligence model. The DPC said that the probe will look at whether Google carried out a data protection impact assessment, as required by the bloc's sweeping General Data Protection Regulation, before it processed EU residents' personal data used in its Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2) foundational model.

Google's AI model faces EU scrutiny from watchdog over privacy rules

Large language models like PaLM2 are vast troves of data that act as building blocks for artificial intelligence systems. Google uses PaLM2 to power a range of generative AI services including email summarizing. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk's social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to "suspend, restrict or prohibit" processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users.

Google's AI model subject to Irish privacy inquiry

The Irish privacy watchdog will check whether Google's development of its AI model is compliant with the EU data protection regulation. The Irish Data Protection Commission today (12 September) said it has started a cross-border statutory inquiry into Google to verify whether the company's AI practices are compliant with the EU's data protection rules. The watchdog wants to know whether the tech giant has undertaken an assessment under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) before processing the personal data of EU and EEA users for the development of its foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2, the statement said. "A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk," the Irish authority added, The inquiry is part of the agency's "wider efforts" to regulate the processing of personal data of EU users and citizens in the development of AI models. Last month, X's AI model Grok came under scrutiny. The social media company changed its privacy settings in July so EU users had to opt out of having xAI use their public posts to train Grok, Elon Musk's new AI model. The Irish authority filed an emergency request to the Irish High Court about the changes because they believed privacy rights were being violated. Court proceedings were ended after the company agreed to permanently suspend personal data collection for EU users to train its artificial intelligence. Similarly, Meta stopped the roll-out of its AI model in Europe in July because of the "unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment", the company said. The Irish privacy watchdog engaged with Meta on the matter after complaints were filed by Austrian privacy group NOYB over concerns about the use of consumers' personal data.

Ireland launches privacy inquiry into Google AI data use in EU

An Irish regulator helping to police European Union data privacy on Thursday launched an investigation into Google's artificial intelligence development. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), the EU's main data privacy regulator, said it would investigate whether Google had breached the bloc's regulations in relation to the procession of personal data. "The Data Protection Commission today announced that it has commenced a cross-border statutory inquiry into Google Ireland," the DPC said. The U.S. tech giant has its European headquarters in Dublin. The probe will look into the "development of its foundational AI model", the DPC added. The "statutory inquiry concerns the question of whether Google has complied with any obligations that it may have had to undertake" under the EU's strict General Data Protection Regulation, it added. This would have been "prior to engaging in the processing of the personal data" of EU citizens, a statement read. The DPC said it was in relation to the development of Google's foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). A representative for Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. "A data protection impact assessment, where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk," the Dublin-based regulator said. "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC" and other EU regulators overseeing "personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems". The DPC's inquiry into Google is the latest move by the regulating giant to reign in the powers of giant tech companies in the nascent AI field. In June, Meta, which also has its European headquarters in Dublin, agreed to pause training of its Llama AI model using public comments posted by European users of Facebook and Instagram.Later, X, formerly Twitter, agreed to suspend its processing of European users' data to train its GrokAI model following legal action from the regulator.

Ireland Launches EU Privacy Probe Into Google AI Development

An Irish regulator helping to police European Union data privacy on Thursday launched an investigation into Google's artificial intelligence development. The inquiry comes as the EU and other major regulators around the world crack down on big tech over a raft of issues including competition, disinformation and taxation. The EU has also adopted the world's first sweeping rules to govern AI, which came into force in August. "The Data Protection Commission today announced that it has commenced a cross-border statutory inquiry into Google Ireland," where the US tech giant has its European headquarters. The probe will look into the "development of its foundational AI model", the DPC said in a statement. The rise of AI has fuelled excitement about its potential, with chatbots that show humanlike ability to answer questions to generate everything from essays to recipes and computer codes. But the emergence of AI has also sparked concerns about the technology taking jobs away from people and even posing an existential threat to humanity. The Irish regulator said that its inquiry "concerns the question of whether Google has complied with any obligations that it may have had to undertake" under the EU's strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This would have been "prior to engaging in the processing of the personal data" of EU citizens related to the development of Google's foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions," a Google spokesperson said in response. The Dublin-based watchdog said that "a data protection impact assessment, where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk". "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC" and other EU regulators overseeing "personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," it added. Google describes PalM2 as a "next generation language model with improved multilingual, reasoning and coding capabilities". The EU has sought to rein in big tech firms. Companies will have to comply with the bloc's new AI regulation by 2026, though rules covering AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT will apply 12 months after the law enters into force. The DPC's announcement comes two days after the European Commission scored two major legal victories in separate cases that left Apple and Google owing billions of euros. Putting an end to a long-running legal battle, the European Court of Justice ruled that the iPhone maker must pay 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back-taxes to Ireland -- home to the European headquarters of Apple, Meta, TikTok and X thanks to its low tax regime. The court also upheld a 2.4-billion-euro fine against Google, one of a string of high-profile EU competition cases targeting the group. The court dismissed an appeal by Google against the 2017 fine, slapped on the search engine for abusing its dominant position by favouring its own comparison shopping service. In the United States, meanwhile, Google has this week faced the start of a major antitrust trial, with the government accusing it of unfairly dominating online advertising and stifling competition.

Ireland launches EU privacy probe into Google AI development

Dublin (AFP) - An Irish regulator helping to police European Union data privacy on Thursday launched an investigation into Google's artificial intelligence development. The inquiry comes as the EU and other major regulators around the world crack down on big tech over a raft of issues including competition, disinformation and taxation. The EU has also adopted the world's first sweeping rules to govern AI, which came into force in August. "The Data Protection Commission today announced that it has commenced a cross-border statutory inquiry into Google Ireland," where the US tech giant has its European headquarters. The probe will look into the "development of its foundational AI model", the DPC said in a statement. The rise of AI has fuelled excitement about its potential, with chatbots that show humanlike ability to answer questions to generate everything from essays to recipes and computer codes. But the emergence of AI has also sparked concerns about the technology taking jobs away from people and even posing an existential threat to humanity. The Irish regulator said that its inquiry "concerns the question of whether Google has complied with any obligations that it may have had to undertake" under the EU's strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This would have been "prior to engaging in the processing of the personal data" of EU citizens related to the development of Google's foundational AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). "We take seriously our obligations under the GDPR and will work constructively with the DPC to answer their questions," a Google spokesperson said in response. The Dublin-based watchdog said that "a data protection impact assessment, where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring that the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals are adequately considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk". "This statutory inquiry forms part of the wider efforts of the DPC" and other EU regulators overseeing "personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in the development of AI models and systems," it added. Google describes PalM2 as a "next generation language model with improved multilingual, reasoning and coding capabilities". Companies will have to comply with the bloc's new AI regulation by 2026, though rules covering AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT will apply 12 months after the law enters into force. The DPC's announcement comes two days after the European Commission scored two major legal victories in separate cases that left Apple and Google owing billions of euros. Putting an end to a long-running legal battle, the European Court of Justice ruled that the iPhone maker must pay 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back-taxes to Ireland -- home to the European headquarters of Apple, Meta, TikTok and X thanks to its low tax regime. The court also upheld a 2.4-billion-euro fine against Google, one of a string of high-profile EU competition cases targeting the group. The court dismissed an appeal by Google against the 2017 fine, slapped on the search engine for abusing its dominant position by favouring its own comparison shopping service. In the United States, meanwhile, Google has this week faced the start of a major antitrust trial, with the government accusing it of unfairly dominating online advertising and stifling competition.

Data Protection Commission launches probe into Google's AI model | BreakingNews.ie

Ireland's data watchdog has launched an investigation into Google's AI model. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) said on Thursday that it has commenced a statutory inquiry into Google under Section 110 of the Data Protection Act. The probe involves examining whether Google complied with any obligations to undertake an assessment, under GDPR laws, prior to processing the personal data of EU/EEA data subjects in developing its AI Model, Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM2). The DPC said that a Data Protection Impact Assessment, where required, is of crucial importance in ensuring people's rights and freedoms are considered and protected when processing of personal data is likely to result in a high risk. The DPC probe is examining cross-border processing, which means it involves either the processing of personal data on a controller or processor in more than one European Union country, or the processing of personal data which takes place in one EU location but which substantially affects or is likely to substantially affect data subjects in more than one member state. The investigation follows a request from the Irish watchdog for social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, to suspend processing its user posts to train its AI chatbot Grok. In August, the DPC welcomed the decision by X to suspend processing while they examine its compliance with GDPR.