Between yesterday and today, the news has spread like wildfire that OpenAI was considering leaving Europe , as a consequence of the regulatory framework for artificial intelligence that the community administrations are preparing. A very juicy headline, without a doubt, since reporting on the departure of ChatGPT from the European common space, even more so after the precedent that its blocking in Italy brought about a few months ago, is one of those news items that are a magnet for clicks. The unfortunate thing is that, as we are going to clarify below, these news are not true .
It is true that the future regulation of artificial intelligence in the European Union worries the big technology companies related to it, such as Google, Microsoft and the case that concerns us today, OpenAI. And, of course, they are trying to enforce their criteria so that it is taken into account in the preparation of said new standard. Google, for example, yesterday we told you, when talking about Search Generative Experience , that Google is collaborating very actively with the European Union in this process, something that except for surprise will translate into the future arrival in the common European space of search services. the AI-based company, like the expected Bard.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been on a tour of this side of the Atlantic , meeting various authorities including the British Prime Minister. As expected, in his appearances before the media, a recurring question has been the situation of OpenAI in the EU, to which Altman has responded that he expects future legislation to have elements of the European regulatory style, but also to take some from the American, generally less interventionist. He also stated that his intentions are to collaborate and adapt to this new framework and that, only if it was impossible for him to do so, would they have to leave Europe.
very productive week of conversations in europe about how to best regulate AI! we are excited to continue to operate here and of course have no plans to leave.
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 26, 2023
Reading many headlines, however, it seems that the departure of OpenAI from the European Union is part of the company’s plans. And such headlines have made so much noise that Sam Altman himself has had to deny that OpenAI has plans to take ChatGPT from Europe . He has done it through a tweet on his personal account in which he cannot be clearer about it:
« Very productive week of conversations in Europe on how to better regulate AI! We are excited to continue operating here and of course have no plans to leave. »
As usually happens in these cases, I am sure that much less news will be published denying OpenAI’s supposed course of action than those that saw the light yesterday pointing in the opposite direction, but the problem is not so much that of a ” yes “. we have no other choice, we will have to go » (it is not literal, but I intend it to be understood perfectly) it reaches headlines and news that the company plans to leave the EU. Anyway, nothing new under the sun.