The official ChatGPT app is out on iOS, but EU users might not get to experience it for long

OpenAI logo
(Image credit: OpenAI)

OpenAI and its software, ChatGPT, and Dall:E have seen a great deal of scrutiny since they launched – but now it looks like OpenAI could pull itself out of the EU. As the European Union starts to pull legislation together that would restrict and regulate the use of AI, the leading AI company reckons it might not be able to match up.

Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, says, "We're gonna try to comply" with the new regulations, reports TIME magazine, but that the company would "cease operation" in the EU if the regulations go ahead. 

So long, we barely knew you

ChatGPT and generative AI has not been in short supply of detractors with those worried about a model that can create rough and uncreative approximations of writing, art, and other traditionally human-made creations. Now, the EU is looking to curb its influence with this incoming legislation. 

Not happy with the restrictions, Altman doesn't think that OpenAI and its apps could comply with the laws, saying that "The current draft of the EU AI Act would be over-regulating," according to the BBC. The US is also planning its own drafts of regulations, although they're unlikely to be as strict as those in the EU.

There are some slightly more uncontroversial applications of AI, like Petey, on the Apple Watch, although there are some that aren't the biggest fans of pumping a learning algorithm with their personal data. Apple itself has banned the use of generative AI in its offices, worried that the programs will store corporate data that might be accessed by competitors.

The European commissions are also working on what the BBC calls an "AI Pact" with Google's parent company, Alphabet – in some hope, presumably, of working out what the future of AI looks like. And perhaps, in the EU, at least, that's a future without ChatGPT and OpenAI.

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Tammy Rogers
Buying Guides and Deals Writer

As the Buying Guides and Deals writer for iMore, Tammy puts over a decade of experience in finding the best prices of Apple products to work, helping you save money on the equipment that you want. An audiophile at heart, she loves all things audio and visual, but you’ll also find her drooling over the latest Macs and MacBooks. With a Masters in screenwriting, Tammy likes to spend her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays or driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.