Check on Foreign AI Amid Drive to Foster Domestic AI
The government has taken its first step to rein in OpenAI's generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT.
On the 27th, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced that it has launched a fact-finding investigation into whether the limitation of service usage for paid ChatGPT users and restrictions on users' cancellations violate the Telecommunications Business Act.
Although the investigation start date and details have not been disclosed, it is known that the inquiry will focus on whether users were sufficiently informed and consented to the daily usage limits, and whether immediate cancellation and refunds are properly provided.
According to the Telecommunications Business Act, the KCC can conduct necessary investigations ex officio to verify if there are violations or failure to comply with recommendations under certain provisions through reports or recognition.
If violations are confirmed after the fact-finding investigation, the KCC can issue corrective orders or impose fines through a resolution of the full standing committee. Fines can be imposed as a fixed amount or calculated as a certain percentage based on service revenue. Considering the scale of fines imposed on existing big tech companies, the amount could reach several hundred billion won, making the outcome highly anticipated.
Although no resolution has been made yet, the KCC announced last October that it would impose fines of 47.5 billion won on Google and 20.5 billion won on Apple over in-app payment issues.
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