EU puts ChatGPT under stricter digital rules

World artificial intelligenceEuropean UnionTop News EU puts ChatGPT under stricter digital rules File Photo: Illustration Shows Chatgpt Logo Relevant News EU puts ChatGPT under stricter digital rules 31 August 2026 Cyprus launches clean-up and safety notice after fatal Cape Greco sinkings 31 August 2026 “We didn’t know if we’d live”: survivor’s account of Cape Greco tragedy 31 August 2026 Theodosis Pipis 31 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The European Commission has placed ChatGPT, and other services such as Reddit and Roblox, under some of the EU’s strictest digital rules, giving regulators greater powers to examine how the AI service operates and how it affects millions of European users. This is because ChatGPT has crossed a new regulatory threshold in Europe. The European Commission announced Monday that it has designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE) under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Union’s sweeping framework for regulating online services. The designation follows OpenAI’s declaration that ChatGPT reaches at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU, the threshold that triggers the bloc’s strongest DSA requirements. The classification is significant because it brings ChatGPT into a regulatory regime originally designed with the largest and most influential internet services in mind. The DSA already applies to online platforms and search engines across Europe, but services above the 45-million-user threshold face additional obligations because of their potential to create what the EU calls “systemic risks,” which under EU Law are widespread threats that affect society as a whole, financial stability, or the internal market. For ChatGPT, the classification reflects an unusual feature of the service: it is not simply an AI chatbot. It can also search the web and return information in response to users’ questions. The Commission therefore considers it a hybrid service that falls within the DSA’s definition of an online search engine. What will change for ChatGPT? OpenAI now has four months to meet the additional requirements imposed on very large services, with the new obligations due to apply by the end of November 2026. Among the most important requirements is an obligation to assess and mitigate systemic risks connected to ChatGPT and its algorithmic systems. That includes risks involving illegal content, the protection of minors, users’ physical and mental well-being, fundamental rights, elections and public security. The change also gives the European Commission greater investigative powers. Brussels will be able to examine the functionalities behind ChatGPT and, where relevant, related systems to assess whether OpenAI is complying with the DSA. Supervision will be carried out in cooperation with Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, since ChatGPT is established in Ireland. What does it mean for users? For the average ChatGPT user, any immediate effect may be difficult to see. The designation does not mean that ChatGPT is being declared unsafe or that the EU has found OpenAI to be in violation of the law. Instead, it means OpenAI will face greater responsibilities to identify and reduce potential harms associated with a service used at enormous scale. In practice, that could lead to changes in how ChatGPT handles areas such as illegal content, minors, safety and information related to elections. It could also mean greater transparency about how certain systems work and stronger scrutiny of the risks created by the service. The European Commission’s move is therefore less about changing ChatGPT overnight and more about changing who gets to scrutinise it, and how closely. ChatGPT is not alone. The Commission has simultaneously designated Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms after they too reported more than 45 million average monthly EU users. But the ChatGPT designation is particularly notable because it extends the EU’s strongest online-service oversight into the rapidly expanding world of generative AI. The message from Brussels is clear: once an AI service becomes large enough to influence millions of people, it is no longer treated simply as a piece of software. Its impact on society becomes a matter of public regulation. Read more: The EU’s AI rulebook is here: what it means for Europeans Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus launches clean-up and safety notice after fatal Cape Greco sinkings “We didn’t know if we’d live”: survivor’s account of Cape Greco tragedy Overnight pharmacies on Monday, August 31 Fytiris admits legal gap on boat departure bans after fatal Cape Greco crash The state is sinking off Limassol – 12 years of pollution and still no answers GSI works expected to resume before end of 2026, Gerapetritis says We once feared we would forget. Now we risk getting used to it… Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.