Complaint demands probe into OpenAI, suspension of further GPT deployment

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - A non-profit organization filed a complaint on Thursday requesting an investigation into OpenAI, a San Francisco-based research lab.

The complaint also called for OpenAI to suspend the release of new GPT models.

Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) urged the regulator Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a complaint to investigate the lab and suspend further deployment of commercial multimodal large language models, GPT-4 being the lab's latest.

The independent non-profit research group claimed GPT-4 is "biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety" and noted the FTC has declared that use of AI should be "transparent, explainable, fair, and empirically sound while fostering accountability."

Marc Rotenberg, president and general counsel of CAIDP, said the center is "specifically asking the FTC to determine whether the company has complied with guidance the federal agency has issued."

Rotenberg was one of dozens of tech experts who signed an open letter that was released Wednesday, which called for pause on artificial intelligence (AI) experiments and systems around the world, citing risks to society and humanity.

The letter, which was also signed by billionaire Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, argued AI labs around the world "locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control."

Signatories argued that such decisions must not be delegated to unelected tech leaders, and powerful AI systems should be developed only once humanity is confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable.

CAIDP in its complaint called for the FTC to act, emphasizing the need for an "independent oversight and evaluation" of commercial AI products offered in the US.

"Without the necessary safeguards established to limit bias and deception, there is a serious risk to businesses, consumers, and public safety. The FTC is uniquely positioned to address this challenge," Merve Hickok, chair and research director of CAIDP, wrote in the complaint, adding the world is at a critical moment in the evolution of AI products.

Ursula Pachl, CAIDP board member, also called on European Union authorities to launch an investigation into the risks of ChatGPT and similar chatbots for European consumers.