ChatGPT and Reddit now face EU's toughest online safety rules

ChatGPT and Reddit now face EU's toughest online safety rules
Explosive growth comes with a new regulatory burden in the European Union.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT will have to comply with tougher EU rules such as removing illegal content or face potential fines, the European Commission said on Monday, as Brussels grapples with how its existing digital regulation applies to rapidly evolving AI services.

The Commission said the chatbot, social media forum Reddit, and gaming platform Roblox would be classified as so-called very large online platforms under the EU Digital Services Act, its landmark online safety regime.

The designation means all three services will face additional obligations such as removing illegal content and protecting the privacy and security of minors and could face fines of up to 6 percent of their global revenue if they fail to comply.

The decision marks a further expansion of the DSA into generative AI, with X’s AI chatbot Grok already facing an investigation under the law.

“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 the EU’s tech chief Henna Virkkunen.

The move comes after all three services surpassed 45 million monthly users in the EU, the threshold for enhanced scrutiny under the DSA. They now have until the end of December to comply with the additional obligations.