EU places ChatGPT under tighter digital services regulation alongside Reddit and Roblox

BRUSSELS — The European Union has brought ChatGPT under additional legal oversight by listing the artificial intelligence chatbot among regulated digital services, while also classifying Reddit and Roblox as "very large online platforms." EU Technology Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said the three platforms will now face higher levels of scrutiny and accountability, citing their broad reach among users across the bloc. The "very large" designation applies to platforms and search engines that reach more than 45 million monthly active users within EU borders. All three platforms had disclosed crossing that threshold. The European Commission gave them four months to comply with the new obligations, which are set out under the Digital Services Act. Under the new requirements, the platforms must carry out risk assessments covering the spread of illegal content, risks to minors and potential negative effects on users' physical and psychological well-being. To bring ChatGPT under the Digital Services Act, Brussels classified the chatbot as a search engine.