First AI Misuse Fine in Italy: Trento Faces Penalty Over Data Protection Violations
Summary:
Italy's Trento has become the country's first city to be fined for improper use of AI in two research projects, according to the Italian Data Protection Authority. Despite acknowledging the city's good intentions, the authority fined Trento €50,000 ($54,373) for not sufficiently anonymizing and correctly sharing the data collected with third parties. The city is contemplating an appeal, arguing that the current legislation is inadequate for regulating the use of AI data. Meanwhile, Italy continues focusing on AI regulation and is set to prioritize the same during its G7 presidency later this year.
Trento, an Italian city, has earned the dubious distinction of being the country's first to be penalized for misapplying artificial intelligence (AI), as reported by the Italian Data Protection Authority. The city engaged in two scientific studies that utilized AI via cameras, microphones, and social media platforms, breaching data protection laws in the process. As a response, Italy's data enforcement agency issued a 50,000 EUR fine ($54,373), marking the first time a local governmental body has been penalized in this manner.
Although the Italian privacy authority acknowledged that the Trento municipality didn't intentionally misuse the technology, it found the data gathered to be insufficiently anonymized and improperly used in collaborations with third parties. The authority criticized the overly broad and intrusive techniques employed by the city, stating that they carry considerable risks to the constitutional rights and freedoms of the involved subjects.
According to sources, Trento's local governing body is mulling over appealing the verdict. The officials argue that the regulatory body's decision points to the inadequate existing legislation governing AI use for data analysis and urban safety enhancement.
Several pivotal events related to AI have occurred in Italy. In March 2023, it became the world's first country to ban OpenAI's widely-used AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Though the ban was lifted after OpenAI met local transparency requirements, the Italian government kept a close eye on AI development. In May of the same year, a substantial funding scheme was launched for employees exposed to the threat of AI job displacement.
In a Parliament session that followed soon after, an Italian senator utilized OpenAI's GPT-4 to create a speech, aiming to create a national dialogue about AI technology. November saw Italian authorities initiating an examination of public and private websites' safety protocols to avoid AI data scraping incidents.
Most recently, on January 5th, Italy declared its intention to prioritize AI regulation during its G7 presidency in June.
Published At
1/26/2024 8:15:27 PM
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