On Friday, the European Commission threatened the website “Bing,” which is owned by the “Microsoft” group, with imposing financial penalties if it does not comply with requests to provide information about the misleading information risks associated with artificial intelligence functions in the search engine, according to Agence France-Presse.
Shortly before the European elections scheduled between the 6th and 9th of June, Brussels is exerting pressure on major digital platforms to reduce the risks of manipulating public opinion.
On March 14, the Commission requested clarifications from “Microsoft” regarding potential risks related to generative artificial intelligence technologies in the “Bing” search engine, especially in the services “CoPilot in Bing” and “Image Creator by Designer.” However, the Commission has not yet received all the required information.
There are suspicions that artificial intelligence systems are spreading false answers to users’ questions, as well as creating or modifying images, videos, or voices artificially but appearing real.
Authorities in Brussels fear that the dissemination of this type of content may mislead voters and be considered a violation of the Digital Services Act implemented last year.
Russia is regularly accused of attempting to influence public opinion in Western countries by disseminating false information on social media.
Therefore, on Friday, the Commission requested “Microsoft” to provide the required information in accordance with the Digital Services Act, which obliges large digital companies like “Bing” to assess the risks arising from their services and take measures to mitigate them.
The company has currently been given a deadline until May 27 to provide the required information.
If “Bing” does not respond in time, the European Commission may impose fines of up to 1% of its global sales and financial penalties of up to 5% of its global daily sales.
“Microsoft” confirmed in a call with Agence France-Presse that they are fully cooperating with the European regulatory authority in response to their request for information.
The spokesperson for the group announced that they are committed to responding to their inquiries and providing further information about their approach to digital security and legal compliance with digital service laws, reaffirming the group’s commitment to providing safe online experiences for users.
(AFP)
