A group of 13 European consumer groups have called for governments to launch urgent investigations into the risk of generative AI technologies, including ChatGPT.

The deputy director general of umbrella consumer group European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) raised “serious concerns” about how these AI systems could “deceive, manipulate and harm people”.

“They can also be used to spread disinformation, perpetuate existing biases which amplify discrimination, or be used for fraud,” said Ursula Pachl, BEUC.“We call on safety, data and consumer protection authorities to start investigations now and not wait idly for all kinds of consumer harm to have happened before they take action.”

Consumer groups based in Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden have all called for action to explore the risks of generative AI.

The comments come after the publication of a new report by Norwegian consumer organisation Forbrukerrådet, which explores the risks of generative AI.

The research found that certain AI developers – including BigTech companies – have "closed off their systems from external scrutiny", which it says makes it difficult to understand how data has been collected or decisions are made.

The report said that AI systems could provide wrong output, including making up non-existent sources to support the incorrect content generated, which could lead to real-life harm, for example if an AI-powered chatbot gave inaccurate medical advice.

Forbrukerrådet also flagged that the technology could potentially be used to manipulate or mislead consumers and said that it could contain, perpetuate or even create new biases.

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