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ARTICLE · 22 SEPTEMBER 2026

EU Commission Classifies ChatGPT As A Search Engine: A Brief Look At What This Means

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The European Commission has designated OpenAI's ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine, while Roblox and Reddit have been classified as Very Large Online Platforms under the Digital Services Act. These designations mark a significant development in EU digital regulation, particularly for AI systems, as all three services must now comply with stringent requirements including risk assessments, content moderation, and independent audits within four months.

European UnionMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Warren Ciantar
Warren Ciantar
Emma Mifsud
Emma Mifsud
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The European Commission has recently designated OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (“VLOSE”), whilst Roblox and Reddit have been designated as Very Large Online Platforms (“VLOPs”), making all three subject to the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) . Having each exceeded an average of 45 million monthly users throughout the European Union (“EU”), the newly designated services now have four months (until January 2027) to comply with all additional requirements mandated by the DSA for both VLOSEs and VLOPs.

This is particularly noteworthy in the case of ChatGPT, which has now joined the two other VLOSEs, ‘Bing’ (operated by Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited) and ‘Google’ (operated by Google Ireland Ltd) – representing a significant development in the EU’s approach to regulating Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) systems.

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