Elon Musk has agreed to hit the brakes on using Europeans' X posts to train his Grok chatbot — at least for now.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), which oversees X under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), announced the decision in a press release, expressing approval of the pause in data processing.
The DPC's announcement follows their urgent High Court application to halt X's processing of personal data from May 7, 2024, to August 1, 2024. This move came after the DPC initiated court proceedings to seek an injunction against X for data processing without consent. The regulator is also planning to refer the matter to the European Data Protection Board (EDPB).
DPC commissioner Des Hogan stated, "We welcome X’s agreement to suspend processing while the DPC, working with our EU/EEA peer regulators, continues to examine the extent to which the processing complies with the GDPR."
Want to learn more about AI's impact on the world in general and property in particular? Join us on our next Webinar! Click here to register
This pause is a significant step in protecting the rights of X users across the EU and EEA. The DPC's role as an independent regulator ensures the best outcomes for data subjects, and today's developments are a testament to their commitment.
The legality of AI models trained on unlawfully obtained data remains a grey area. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has also faced scrutiny under GDPR, with Italy’s privacy watchdog putting it on notice for suspected breaches.
X responded to the situation by stating, "We are pleased that people using X in the EU can continue to use Grok and control how their data is used with a simple privacy setting."
While the DPC continues its examination, the outcome will set a precedent for how privacy watchdogs handle AI models trained on unlawfully processed data. The matter is set to return to court in September, with the DPC working alongside EU/EEA regulators to ensure compliance with GDPR.
Stay tuned as this story unfolds, and keep an eye on how privacy regulations evolve in the age of AI.
Want to learn more about AI's impact on the world in general and property in particular? Join us on our next Webinar! Click here to register
Made with TRUST_AI - see the Charter: https://www.modelprop.co.uk/trust-ai
Comments