EU puts ChatGPT under tough new tech rules

The European Union has officially decided that AI chatbots belong in the big leagues of tech regulation.

The European Commission designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine under its Digital Services Act. At the same time, Reddit and Roblox were tagged as Very Large Online Platforms, bringing all three under the bloc's strictest digital rulebook.

The 45 million threshold

Under the DSA, reaching an average of 45 million monthly active users in the EU triggers strict legal obligations. OpenAI, Reddit, and Roblox now have until December 2026 to fully comply.

That means OpenAI must actively mitigate risks around user mental health, minor safety, and illegal content. Targeted ads based on sensitive traits like religion or sexual orientation are banned, and the companies will have to open up their recommendation algorithms to real transparency. As EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen put it, higher reach demands higher scrutiny.

Why it matters

Treating ChatGPT as a search engine rather than an experimental app is a massive regulatory shift. It tells us that European watchdogs now view generative AI as the next Google, an essential gatekeeper of public information rather than just a fun software toy.

For users in Europe, this means tighter guardrails around data privacy and safety, but it could also lead to more cautious, heavily filtered responses as OpenAI rushes to avoid hefty fines before the December 2026 deadline. For the wider AI industry, the easy expansion phase is over: if your agent starts answering queries at scale, European regulators will treat you like the web's front door.