OpenAI violated Canadians’ privacy, watchdogs say in call for legal reform – Global News

Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
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4 comments
Figures. Anything touched by the Liberals is a f*ckin mess and will end up costing us huge money somehow. Everything they do is circumspect and done to thwart Canada and what we are. Every system, program, ministry, all of it, under these Liberals is broken, busted and turned upside down because these guys are nothing but fascists.
Our economy, our very way of life is threatened by these fools and their FN masters. They are supported by a rogue media that is nothing but propaganda and hate. Censorship continues to take our voice!
These Liberal fascist swine have to be removed and if thats by force, so be it.
Use like the liberals
I try to avoid anything related to AI, because it can be and is invasive, and not always correct. I’m in my 70’s, learned grammar, spelling, etc… in school, and prefer to use my own resources.
If ChatGTP had reported HIM…can you imagine the outcry from the LGTBQRFKS accusing discrimination,targeting, and maybe even a hate crime..
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Canada’s privacy watchdog said Wednesday that OpenAI has committed to better protect Canadians’ personal information, after a joint investigation with three provinces found the company engaged in “overly broad” data collection to train its initial ChatGPT AI chatbot models.
But Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne and his counterparts in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta said their investigation has reinforced the need to modernize Canada’s privacy laws for the age of artificial intelligence, noting OpenAI was able to take advantage of a lack of guardrails that are now urgently needed.
“OpenAI launched ChatGPT without having fully addressed known privacy issues,” Dufresne said at a press conference in Ottawa. “This exposed Canadians to potential risks of harm such as breaches and discrimination on the basis of information about them.”
Of particular issue was the way OpenAI crawled or “scraped” publicly available online information from across the Internet to train its earlier GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models that were being used at the time the investigation was launched in 2023.
That data collection was done without transparency or the consent of Canadians whose information was used, and even collected information that led to “factual inaccuracies,” the watchdogs found. Canadians also had no recourse to access their personal information or have it corrected or deleted, the investigation found.
The report criticizes OpenAI for rushing its ChatGPT products to market before having proper privacy safeguards in place, only addressing concerns after the fact, which violated accountability requirements in the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
“We have some statements from leaders of the organization at the time saying ‘we felt we had to move, we knew that there were others out there and so we launched it … having done limited testing,” Dufresne told reporters.
“We found that problematic. We found there were things that they could have done, and indeed that they have done now, that should have taken place before this was launched.”
Dufresne said OpenAI has since agreed to additional safeguards like a retention policy for personal data as a result of the investigation, and has “significantly” limited the information it uses to train new and upcoming ChatGPT models.
He said OpenAI has also agreed to transparency measures that will keep Canadians informed in both official languages on the company’s data collection, use and retention policies.
Asked if he believes ChatGPT is safe to use today, Dufresne said “yes” and that the issues raised in the report have been “conditionally resolved,” with OpenAI agreeing to continued compliance monitoring.
But British Columbia Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey suggested that ChatGPT by design “cannot be compliant” with the province’s privacy law as currently written, which forbids companies from relying on “implied consent” if it is not collecting the data itself, but rather from third-party websites.
“I would say that we are also encouraged by many of the things that we’ve seen ChatGPT do over the course of the investigation, and we’re also encouraged by a number of the commitments that they’ve committed to make,” he added.
The report notes OpenAI disagreed with the commissioners’ findings but nevertheless agreed to measures meant to address their concerns and prevent further privacy law violations.
A spokesperson for OpenAI pointed to a bilingual blog post published Wednesday by the company “following a collaborative process with the commissioners” that outlines its approach to privacy, how Canadians’ data may be used, and the “controls” available to users.
“We care deeply about the people who use ChatGPT, and protecting their privacy is central to how we build,” the post says.
“We also recognize that protecting privacy and addressing serious risks of harm have to work together. We take that responsibility seriously, and we continue to strengthen how we detect and respond to credible threats of violence while maintaining privacy safeguards.”
Harvey said the findings show the need for other AI companies to be restrained through modernized privacy laws in a way that OpenAI wasn’t, in order to prevent similar situations.
“We’re left at an impasse,” he said.
“On the one hand, AI applications have potentially transformative benefits. But in certain cases, such as the one before us, applications are developed without adequate privacy considerations. And on the other hand, those privacy laws were written for a different era and are strained to the breaking point. Both companies and the law have to change.”
Dufresne said he has repeatedly called for better oversight powers under the federal PIPEDA law, as well as modernized language that restrains AI companies from overly broad and accountability-free data harvesting.
Alberta Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod noted that AI models and products are already being developed in Canada in ways that adhere to current privacy laws, but also stressed the need for new guardrails.
“Some may worry that we are trying to close the barn door after the horse is already bolted. There is a grain of truth to that,” she said. “Technologies are moving so quickly that it is indeed challenging, and perhaps even impossible, to get ahead of it with legislation or regulation.
“However, there is always an opportunity to erect defence or corral around the barn, if you allow me to take the metaphor further. Guardrails must be established to ensure technology companies are accountable for privacy protection.”
Harvey said he was writing to the B.C. government to request legislation that will update the province’s privacy law.
AI Minister Evan Solomon has promised legislation to modernize PIPEDA will be introduced sometime this year, but has drawn criticism from industry and research experts for not proposing regulations fast enough to respond to AI.
A statement from Solomon’s office responding to the privacy commissioners’ report gave no updated timeline for bringing that new privacy bill forward.
“Today’s findings by Canada’s federal and provincial privacy commissioners underscore the importance of protecting Canadians’ personal information in the age of AI,” the statement said.
“Modernizing Canada’s privacy framework remains a priority for this government. The technology landscape is evolving rapidly, and Canadians deserve a comprehensive framework that keeps pace, gives regulators the tools they need, and gives Canadians confidence that their rights are protected.”
Solomon said OpenAI’s past data collection practices and privacy measures fell “short of the standards Canadians should expect,” adding he expects the company to fully follow through with its commitments.
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