Policy and SafetyAug 31, 2026watch
Europe is treating ChatGPT less like an app and more like internet infrastructure
ChatGPT’s growth has pushed it into a new regulatory category in Europe. The important shift is not just tougher paperwork for OpenAI; it is that general-purpose AI assistants are being treated as systems that can shape search, minors’ experiences, mental health, and access to information at internet scale.
Why it matters: The next question is how compliance changes the product. Expect more risk assessments, transparency reporting, safety controls for younger users, and region-specific behavior that may make the European version of major AI assistants meaningfully different from the rest of the world.