Brussels has classified ChatGPT as a search engine under the Digital Services Act, marking the first such designation for an AI chatbot, while also designating Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms. All three have four months to comply with the rules.
The European Commission has designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine and Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms under the Digital Services Act, subjecting all three to the bloc’s strictest online safety regime, Euronews reported.
The designation will prove particularly consequential for ChatGPT because the Commission has concluded that an AI chatbot that pulls live results from the internet functions, in regulatory terms, as a search engine — not merely a platform.
“These new designations mean that ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability in the European Union, in line with their large impact on our citizens and society,” said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.
The Commission described ChatGPT as a “hybrid service” that qualifies as an online search engine under the DSA because it can engage with and respond to users’ prompts and queries, including by searching the web.
“We continue to watch the digital landscape closely and will not hesitate to designate any platform that meets the threshold for enhanced supervision under the Digital Services Act.”
Under the DSA, online services that reach more than 45 million monthly users in the EU — roughly one in 10 of the bloc’s population — are classified as either Very Large Online Platforms or Very Large Online Search Engines, depending on what they do.
