AI chatbots pose risks to children, prompting calls for regulations governing developers.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would propose a plan to the G7 group to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) developers.

The purpose of these rules is to prevent the spread of misinformation by raising public awareness to distinguish between images and information produced by AI and information that is not generated by algorithms.

The proposed guidelines are expected to be submitted as early as this fall, at a virtual meeting of the world's seven largest economies (G7).

Snap Inc. is accused of failing to adequately and accurately assess the data privacy risks to children when launching its AI chatbot.

The report stated that Japan is concerned about the complex images and information generated by AI, which could mislead the public and threaten economic stability.

Meanwhile, the UK data watchdog has stated that AI chatbots could pose privacy risks to children, in this case, the “My AI” chatbot developed by the American technology company Snapchat.

Authorities say Snapchat may have underestimated the privacy risks to children posed by the AI chatbot it launched last April. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) stated that if the U.S. company cannot adequately address the regulators' concerns, they will consider banning the AI app nationwide.

"Initial findings from the investigation indicate that Snap did not adequately and accurately assess the privacy risks to children and other users before launching the AI app," an ICO representative said.

However, the regulatory body's statement does not mean that Snapchat, the messaging app widely used by young people in the UK, has violated data protection laws.

Snap said it is reviewing the ICO's announcement and is committed to protecting user privacy. “Our AI has undergone a rigorous privacy and legal review process before being made public,” the American tech company said. “We will continue to work constructively with the ICO to address concerns about our risk assessment processes.”

The ICO is investigating how "My AI" handled the personal data of approximately 21 million Snapchat users in the UK, including children aged 13-17.

The app, developed by Snapchat, is powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT – the most well-known example of generative AI that policymakers worldwide are seeking to manage amid privacy and security concerns.

Social media networks, including Snapchat, require users to be 13 years old or older, but they are not always successful in preventing underage children from using their platforms.

Previously, in August 2023, Reuters reported that regulators were gathering information to determine whether the messaging app was effectively removing underage users from its platform.

(According to Bloomberg, Reuters)

Meta uses Facebook and Instagram user data to train its AI chatbot.

Meta says it uses users' publicly shared Facebook and Instagram posts to train its new artificial intelligence (AI) virtual assistant, but excludes content shared only with family and friends.

Microsoft launches AI chatbot virtual assistant Copilot.

Microsoft Copilot will be available on Windows 11, Microsoft 365, the Edge browser, and the Bing search engine.

Three new features are coming to Google's AI chatbot, Bard.

Verifying the accuracy of answers, importing user data across apps, and inviting others to chat with chatbots are some of the new features coming to Google Bard.

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