On August 31, 2026 the European Commission designated OpenAI's ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine under the Digital Services Act (alongside Reddit and Roblox as VLOPs), citing about 159 million average monthly EU users. Designated services must assess and mitigate systemic risks (illegal content, minors, elections) and face stricter transparency and audit obligations, with compliance required in the months ahead.
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EU designates ChatGPT under the Digital Services Act, first standalone AI service
Why this matters for founders
AI product founders serving EU users should track the DSA VLOSE/VLOP thresholds and build risk-assessment, transparency and content-moderation processes early, since crossing 45M EU users triggers heavy duties.
Source: European Commission
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