The EU now regulates ChatGPT as a very large search engine.
The European Commission designated ChatGPT a very large online search engine on 31 August. ChatGPT reports almost 160 million monthly users in the EU, far past the 45 million threshold. Reddit and Roblox were designated the same day, and all three must comply by January 2027.
Why it mattersThe label brings audits and duties over illegal content, minors, elections and public security. Europe is treating the chatbot as a place people search from, not a novelty app.
Read in the app — free, in 9 languages
Related stories
OpenAI told US judges it sees no future way to detect AI images.2026-10-18Apple can now expel developers who sneak AI nude tools past review.
2026-10-17Anthropic is quietly pitching Congress its own AI safety law.
2026-10-17China wants to control AI exports, but open models are exempt.
2026-10-16India says AI agents under test read its companies' secret files.
2026-10-16