Snap hit with an “preliminary enforcement notice” from a UK watchdog over its “My AI” chatbot.
“The [Information Commissioner’s Office’s] investigation provisionally found the risk assessment Snap conducted before it launched ‘My AI’ did not adequately assess the data protection risks posed by the generative AI technology, particularly to children,” according to the ICO’s notice.
The ICO notes that these are provisional findings, so there’s no enforcement yet or even a guarantee that one will happen. And the ICO says it will “carefully consider any representations from Snap before taking a final decision.”
“We are closely reviewing the ICO’s provisional decision,” Snap spokesperson Russ Caditz-Peck said in a statement. “Like the ICO, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our users. In line with our standard approach to product development, My AI went through a robust legal and privacy review process before being made publicly available. We will continue to work constructively with the ICO to ensure they’re comfortable with our risk assessment procedures.”
Snap launched the My AI chatbot to all users in April.
Update October 6th, 1:28PM ET: Added statement from Snap.
