The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has launched an inquiry into Google's compliance with EU privacy laws concerning its AI model, PaLM 2.

This investigation is part of broader efforts to ensure that the personal data of EU and EEA citizens is adequately protected during the development of AI systems.

As part of the EU's comprehensive AI regulations, which came into effect in August 2023, companies are required to comply by 2026, with specific rules for AI models like ChatGPT applying a year earlier.

Big Tech companies are facing heightened scrutiny from regulators globally, particularly regarding their data processing practices and the handling of harmful content.

The DPC has requested discussions at the EU level to explore the relationship between data protection and AI model training, amid rising disputes with tech firms like X and Meta.

Meta has paused its plans to use personal data for AI training in response to DPC concerns and complaints from privacy advocates.

Earlier this month, X (formerly Twitter) agreed to stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok after legal pressure from the Irish watchdog.

Under Margrethe Vestager's leadership, Google has faced record fines and increased regulatory pressure, particularly with the Digital Markets Act intensifying these challenges.

The scrutiny surrounding the data used for training generative AI models is increasing, especially regarding personal information sourced from EU citizens.

The DPC has the authority to impose fines of up to 4% of Alphabet's global annual turnover for confirmed breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Last summer, the DPC issued guidelines for AI and large language model training to ensure compliance with European data protection laws.

Google emphasizes the importance of protecting privacy when using sensitive data in machine learning models, advocating for transparency and user control over data.