Italy Bans US-based AI Chatbot Replika From Using Personal Data

Italy’s Data Protection Agency reportedly said on Friday that it has banned artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot company Replika from using the personal credentials of Italian users. The agency took these steps to protect minors and emotionally fragile people. 

As per the analysis of Al’s impacts on audiences, it is making users “uncomfortable” as the chatbot program is becoming ‘too aroused.’ 

Replika first launched five years ago in 2017, is a San Francisco-based company. It was created as software to hold conversations with people and learn how to communicate back. In essence, it was trying to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence. 

It was also designed to mimic people’s texting styles, also allowing users to have a private talk with their own personalized AI avatars. It is a very popular app among English speakers, and the app offers its services free of cost, however, it brings in around $2 million in monthly revenue from selling bonus features such as voice chats. 

The app describes a ‘virtual friend’ that is available and able to improve the emotional well-being of the user, however, the Italian Data Protection Agency said that by intervening in the user’s mood, the app “may increase the risks for individuals still in a developmental stage or in a state of

[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.