Delay in the introduction of Google AI Bard in the EU

Google’s new service Bard, which is based on generative artificial intelligence, will continue to be a long time coming in the EU. The Irish data protection authority has ruled that Google has so far failed to provide sufficient information on how Bard will protect the privacy of EU citizens. The Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Dublin has primary jurisdiction over Google under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as the U.S. company has its European headquarters in Ireland.

Privacy concerns and lack of information

Google had notified the DPC of its intention to launch Bard in the EU this week. However, the regulator had not received a detailed briefing, privacy impact assessment or supporting documentation at that time. It has therefore asked the company for this information and is urgently waiting for Google to provide a detailed assessment and answer questions about how Bard will comply with EU data protection rules. The chatbot is therefore yet to be released in member states in the coming days.

Bard in other countries

Google has already launched Bard in 180 countries in mid-May, but not in EU member states. The company is believed to be waiting for the pending negotiations on the EU’s AI regulation. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has assured EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton that Google intends to comply with all community regulations, including the GDPR.

The EU’s proposed AI regulation

The EU Parliament’s committees recently set their line on the proposed AI regulation. The plenary will decide on it on Wednesday. Services such as Bard, which generate new texts, images, music or videos based on existing works, are not to be classified as high-risk from the outset, but they are to be strictly regulated. Investigations into Bard are already underway in the EU. The European Data Protection and Privacy Authority (EDSA) established a task force around the chatbot in mid-May.

Google’s statement

Google has said it wants to launch Bard in the EU “responsibly” after consulting with experts, regulators and policymakers. As part of this process, Google has held discussions with data protection authorities to answer their questions and receive feedback.