The EU just decided ChatGPT looks more like a search engine than a social platform, and that label comes with teeth.
The European Commission designated ChatGPT a Very Large Online Search Engine under the Digital Services Act. That status exposes OpenAI to fines of up to 6% of its global revenue for DSA violations. But the obligations only apply to the parts of ChatGPT that retrieve and surface information, not the parts where it just holds a conversation. The alternative label, Very Large Online Platform, would have covered more of the product but also came bundled with a liability shield platforms use to avoid responsibility for what users do on them.
That is the twist here: the narrower-sounding classification is actually the tougher one. Regulators skipped the label that would have given OpenAI cover and picked the one that leaves it more exposed. It also shows the EU is still fitting square AI products into round DSA categories built for search boxes and social feeds.
Watch what happens next time a chatbot starts summarizing search results instead of just chatting, because that is apparently the line that decides whether you get a shield or a fine.