ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, has been praised as one of the most influential AI innovations of our generation, and now over seven countries are banning its use due to privacy concerns or the spread of false information.
The chatbot, is powered by AI and can perform a multitude of different tasks depending on what the user needs. It can write code, gather research, answer questions, and much more. There have been several reports of students using it to do assignments and people using it to complete work at their job.
The program has the potential to do so much to revolutionize the future of multiple professions by removing the need for workers to complete repetitive tasks and automating certain aspects of business life. Due to the nature of AI, this software will only get better over time as more people use it.
Countries That Have Banned The Use Of ChatGPT
As of now, seven countries have banned ChatGPT and they are Italy, Cuba, Iran, Syria, China, Russia, and North Korea. While these countries have outright banned the software, numerous other countries have begun tightening regulations around its use.
Digital Trends has reported that Ukraine was also banned from using ChatGPT due to Russia’s occupation and annexation of Crimea. OpenAI has since restored functionality to the country at the start of the war.
After these countries banned ChatGPT, OpenAI responded by blocking all use of its software in the specified countries so that citizens can’t use it through backdoor channels. These are not the only places where ChatGPT is blocked as there are several countries in Africa, South America, and Asia where it is not possible to access the program.
Some countries where ChatGPT is blocked include; Afghanistan, Somalia, Belarus, Cambodia, Paraguay, and many more. The two main reasons Open AI has blocked access to the platform in these third-world countries are either due to conflict in the area or poor infrastructure.
Why Are Countries Banning ChatGPT?
With what ChatGPT is capable of, it is understandable why these countries have banned the chatbot. Although the topic of AI is rife with ethical concerns and moral dilemmas, this is not the entire reason why most of these countries have banned the use of the software.
Italy is the outlier in the group because it banned ChatGPT due to privacy issues. The country stated that the chatbot was against the European unions regulation on data usage. Italy accused OpenAi of processing citizens’ data without proper consent but has since said it will consider lifting the ban if the company corrects the issue.
The remaining countries on the list banned ChatGPT for three reasons; government-restricted access to the Internet, to stop the spread of ‘misinformation’ that the government doesn’t agree with, and anti-western sentiment.
Russia, China, and North Korea all have bad relations with America and mistrust any technology that is related to them. On top of this, these countries have heavily restricted access to the Internet, and each country has its own version of the Internet to limit access to Western media.
Cuba, Iran, and Syria have banned ChatGPT for similar reasons. They also heavily sensor what sites their citizens can use and restrict the flow of information on the Internet. If these countries allowed their citizens to use the chatbot to gather Western information, it could cause problems for the government to control its propaganda.
