Google forced to delay EU launch of Bard AI over privacy concerns

Europeans wanting to try out Google Bard will have to wait. The main overseer of data in the European Union, the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC), has forced Google to delay the rollout of its Bard chatbot in the region. Generative AI was due to be launched in the EU this week, but IDPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle says his agency has not received a “detailed” privacy briefing, data impact assessment or supporting information.

According to Doyle the commission is still in the midst of an “ongoing examination” of Bard. It is not giving an estimate of when it might complete that investigation, but it plans to share the information with other EU data regulators as soon as possible.

We’ve asked Google for comment. in a statement to political man, a Google spokesperson says the company promised to expand bard access “responsibly” after discussing its efforts with experts and governments. The rep says this includes speaking regularly in confidentiality to “address their questions and hear feedback.”

Google began expanding access to Bard in March, when it let users sign up for a waiting list. In May, it removed waiting lists and expanded availability to 180 more countries and territories. The tech giant shied away from the European Union, where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict requirements on how personal data is collected and shared.

Other AI developers have already faced tough scrutiny. Germany, Italy, and Spain are currently investigating OpenAI’s ChatGPT with the European Data Protection Board, and Italy has provisionally banned the chatbot and its training methods (using others’ real-world content) over concerns of violating the GDPR. Equipment is banned from. The delay for Bard theoretically lessens the potential for similar conflicts for Google.