The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is launching a series of consultations on generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content such as text, images, music and code. The consultations aim to clarify how data protection law applies to the development and use of generative AI models, which are typically trained on large datasets that may contain personal data.
The first consultation, which is open until 1 March 2024, focuses on the lawful basis for web scraping to train generative AI models. Web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites, which may not have been intended for reuse or sharing by the website owners or users. The ICO is seeking views from various stakeholders, including developers, users, legal advisors, civil society groups and public bodies with an interest in generative AI.
The ICO will use the feedback to update its guidance on AI and other products. The consultations are part of the ICO’s priority work on AI, which aims to ensure that organisations develop and deploy AI responsibly and with the trust of the people whose data it is built on.
You can complete the ICO’s consultation here.
