The European Commission has classified ChatGPT and the online gaming platform Roblox as "very large" models, upon noting that their services exceed the threshold of 45 million monthly users in the European Union. This consideration implies that they will have to comply with the stricter obligations set forth in the Digital Services Act.
In this decision, Brussels places ChatGPT in the category of Very Large Search Engine (VLOSE, for its acronym in English), while Roblox and Reddit are considered Very Large Online Platforms (VLOP). From now on, the companies have a period of four months to fully adapt to the reinforced requirements.
Among these obligations is the need to "assess and mitigate the systemic risks arising from their services and algorithmic systems related to the dissemination of illegal content," as well as to analyze and reduce the possible negative impacts on minors, the physical and mental well-being of users in general, and the respect for fundamental rights, electoral processes, and public safety.
Thanks to this designation, the community executive assumes new investigative powers to examine in detail the functionalities that support these services and, when appropriate, any system linked to them.
"ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox will now have a higher level of control and accountability in the European Union, in line with their significant impact on our citizens and society," noted the community vice president for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen.
Virkkunen herself has also warned that Brussels "is closely monitoring the digital landscape" and "will not hesitate" to include under this regime any platform that reaches the established threshold to be subjected to enhanced oversight under the Digital Services Act.