The consultation series will examine how aspects of data protection law should apply to the development and use of the technology, with the first consultation examining when it is lawful to train generative AI models on personal data scraped from the web.

The ICO is seeking views from a range of stakeholders, including developers and users of generative AI, legal advisers and consultants working in this area, civil society groups and other public bodies with an interest in generative AI.

The first consultation, which can be accessed here, is open until 1st March 2024, with future consultations planned for the first half of the year including studying issues such as the accuracy of generative AI outputs.

Stephen Almond, Executive Director for Regulatory Risk said: “The impact of generative AI can be transformative for society if it’s developed and deployed responsibly.

“This call for views will help the ICO provide industry with certainty regarding its obligations and safeguard people’s information rights and freedoms.”