Google on the Hook! Secret AI Model Faces EU Lawsuit Amid Fears of Catastrophic Consequences

European Union regulators have just dropped a bombshell: they are launching an official probe into one of Google's secretive artificial intelligence models. The investigation centers on concerns that the tech giant's so-called Pathways Language Model 2 – or PaLM2 for short – may be secretly violating the EU's stringent data protection rules.

According to Ireland's Data Protection Commission, which is acting as Google's lead regulator in the EU, the inquiry aims to determine whether PaLM2 complies with the General Data Protection Regulation, also known as GDPR. Specifically, regulators want to know whether Google has conducted adequate risk assessments to ensure that PaLM2's data processing does not pose a threat to the rights and freedoms of EU citizens.

As part of the investigation, the Data Protection Commission will scrutinize Google's PaLM2 model, a vast database of language patterns and algorithms that underpins many of the company's AI-powered services. These services include a popular AI-powered email summarization tool that has been praised for its accuracy and efficiency.

Google, which has its European headquarters in Dublin, has thus far remained silent on the matter, declining to comment on the probe. The Data Protection Commission's decision to investigate PaLM2 is not an isolated incident, however. Rather, it reflects a broader push by EU regulators to hold Big Tech companies accountable for their handling of personal data.

In recent weeks, EU regulators have launched a series of high-profile crackdowns on companies that fail to comply with GDPR. One notable example is Elon Musk's embattled social media platform X, which was forced to stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok after the Irish watchdog took the company to court. In June, Facebook parent company Meta Platforms announced that it would pause plans to use European user data to train its large language model, following apparent pressure from Irish regulators.

Italy's data protection agency has also taken a tough stance on AI-powered services. Last year, the agency temporarily banned ChatGPT, a popular chatbot developed by OpenAI, over concerns about data breaches and other GDPR-related issues. OpenAI was forced to agree to a set of demands to resolve the regulator's concerns and avoid a permanent ban.

The recent string of enforcement actions highlights the EU's commitment to protecting the personal data of its citizens. As AI technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous, regulators are working to ensure that companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI are held to account for their handling of sensitive information.