Is ChatGPT’s use of People’s Data even Legal?

July 4, 2023

Beat B. Süess

The sudden massive success of language learning models in the field of AI and machine learning is a hot issue. These tools are language models that may provide precise answers and even produce code; ChatGPT-3 is perhaps the most well-known. They may be applied to several tasks, including text summarization, language translation, and chatbots. However, as with any technology, there may be disadvantages and issues.

Privacy and ChatGPT

Privacy is one of the critical issues with these models, and it can be challenging for individuals to understand whether their data has been used to train a machine-learning model. For instance, the vast language model GPT-3 was trained using a tremendous quantity of online data, including material from social media and personal websites. The model may utilise people’s data without their consent, and it may be challenging to control or erase data used to train the model.

The “right to be forgotten” problem is another point of worry. People may wish to have the option to remove their data from the model as the use of GPT models and other machine learning models increases.

People are outraged that their information is being utilised without their consent, according to Sadia Afroz, an AI researcher at AVG. Although some individuals have occasionally removed data, the data is still present since the language model has previously utilised them. They are unable to erase the data.

There is currently no commonly acknowledged way for people to ask that their data be removed from a machine-learning model after it has been trained. Several researchers and businesses are working on various techniques to allow for the erasure or “forgetting” of specific data points or user information. However, these techniques are still in the early phases of development. Thus it is unclear how practical or successful they will be.

Additionally, there are technological difficulties associated with deleting data from machine learning models because the data may have been used to train the model, and its accuracy may be compromised if it is done so.

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Is ChatGPT legal?

Depending on the unique rules and restrictions in a given nation or area, utilising personal data to train machine learning models like GPT-3 may or may not be permitted in that country or location. For instance, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union controls how personal data is used. It mandates that it must only be gathered and used for specific legal purposes.

According to Afroz, the GDPR focuses a lot on purpose limitations. “Therefore, you must utilise the data for the reason it was gathered. You must obtain authorisation if you wish to utilise it for something else. However, the data in language models may be used in various ways. How is this limitation to be enforced under GDPR?”

Organisations must get individuals’ express consent under GDPR before collecting and processing their data. However, the controller must adhere to GDPR’s principles and rights, including the right to be informed, right to access, right to correction, right to deletion, right to object, and right to data portability. Processing personal data for historical and scientific research has a legal foundation. Therefore, it would seem that the language learning models do not adhere to GDPR, which might provide a significant obstacle to future expansion.

Using personal data to train machine learning models is not mainly regulated by federal law in the United States.

However, organisations must typically abide by rules like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) if they collect and utilise personal data from people in specific sensitive categories. Additionally, businesses must abide by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which has identical privacy obligations to GDPR, in California, the state where most significant internet firms are based.

The creation of AI models like GPT-3 is an area that is continually changing. It is crucial to keep up with the most recent legal advances in this field since rules and regulations governing the use of personal data in AI will likely change.

Is ChatGPT accurate?

Inaccurate information and a lack of verification are two additional major GPT model concerns. Many language learning AIs are claimed to offer facts with assurance but inaccuracy. Because of the lack of fact-checking, incorrect information may spread more widely, which is problematic, especially in delicate fields like politics and the news.

For instance, Google intends to utilise sizable language learning models to enhance customer service, but it’s unclear how they’ll manage the fact-checking component.

Large language learning models may revolutionise how we use technology and automate some chores, but it’s necessary to consider any potential adverse effects and safety issues. It’s critical to address privacy issues and create answers for the “right to be forgotten” problem as the use of these models spreads.

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