The EU to Closely Monitor ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox: How Will Japan Regulate Large AI?

A movement symbolizing the transformation of generative AI from a "convenient new technology" to "social infrastructure" has occurred in Europe.

On August 31, 2026, the European Commission designated OpenAI's ChatGPT as a "Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE)" and Reddit and Roblox as "Very Large Online Platforms (VLOP)."

The reason for this designation is simple. All three services reported reaching an average of over 45 million users per month within the EU, surpassing the "large service" criteria set by the EU's Digital Services Act, known as the DSA.

However, when viewing this news from Japan, understanding it merely as "the EU regulating another US IT company" is insufficient.

The important aspect is that generative AI like ChatGPT is beginning to be treated as "information infrastructure that has a significant impact on society," similar to social networks and large search services.

In Japan, ChatGPT is also used in a wide range of scenarios, including work, education, programming, research, shopping, travel planning, and understanding news. As generative AI is becoming a substitute for search engines, the discussion that started in the EU is not just a European issue.

Why does the treatment change at "45 million"?

Under the DSA, online platforms or search engines providing services to over 45 million users, equivalent to about 10% of the EU population, are treated in a different category than regular businesses.

The underlying idea is the notion that "the more users there are, the greater the impact on society."

The societal impact of a design or algorithm change is entirely different between a web service used by tens of thousands and one used by hundreds of millions for information gathering and communication.

If a recommendation algorithm excessively spreads specific information, it can influence public opinion. If inappropriate content continues to be shown to children, it can lead to harm to minors. If false information or organized information manipulation spreads during election periods, the impact on democracy cannot be ignored.

Therefore, the EU requires not only post-incident responses like "removing illegal posts" but also preemptive risk analysis and measures for the systems of large services.

The focus is not only on illegal content.

The impact on minors, users' physical and mental health, fundamental human rights, electoral processes, and public safety are also subject to evaluation.

Furthermore, large services are subject to heavier responsibilities than regular services, including improving transparency, conducting independent audits, providing data to researchers under certain conditions, disclosing information about advertisements, and addressing recommendation systems.

If a violation is officially recognized, a penalty of up to 6% of the global annual turnover could be imposed.

This is a regulatory design that even giant companies cannot ignore.

The most noteworthy aspect is that ChatGPT has become a "search engine"

For Japan, the classification of ChatGPT is particularly intriguing.

The European Commission treated ChatGPT not as a social network or a mere AI chat, but as an "online search engine."

ChatGPT is a generative AI that answers users' questions in text, but it currently also has web search capabilities, allowing it to retrieve information from the internet as needed and organize multiple pieces of information to provide answers.

Due to these characteristics, the European Commission has positioned ChatGPT as a "hybrid service."

The numbers published by OpenAI in response to the DSA also speak to its scale.

During the six months leading up to March 31, 2026, the average monthly active recipients of ChatGPT searches in the EU were about 159.1 million. While this figure, based on DSA calculation criteria, cannot be directly compared to general monthly user numbers, it clearly indicates that it has reached a massive scale as an information search service.

Previously, when searching for something on the internet, many people would enter keywords into search engines like Google and select sites from the search results.

However, it's different with generative AI.

"I'm traveling to Tokyo next month; what are some recommended places?"
"How does this news affect the Japanese economy?"
"I want to know general information about this disease."

When asked, the AI summarizes multiple pieces of information and directly returns an "answer."

Users read a single AI-generated response instead of looking at ten links in search results.

This introduces new issues.

Which information sources did the AI prioritize? Did it adequately cover opposing views? Is it explaining incorrect information as if it were fact? Is there bias in the responses on political or social themes?

In traditional searches, "search ranking" determined the entry point to information, but in the era of generative AI, "how the AI constructs an answer" becomes the entry point.

The significance of the EU recognizing ChatGPT as a search engine is greater than imagined.

Reddit is forced to balance "free community" and corporate responsibility

While Reddit may not be as well-known in Japan as X or Instagram, it is a bulletin board-style service with enormous influence, especially in English-speaking regions.

Communities called "subreddits" are created for each theme, where users post news, questions, images, and experiences.

The characteristic of Reddit is that instead of the company centrally managing everything, moderators and users of each community have formed the culture.

This is why being regulated as a large platform poses challenges.

If too much autonomy is respected, the company's response to illegal content, harassment, misinformation, etc., may be delayed.

Conversely, if the company intervenes too much, Reddit's unique anonymity and free discussion may be lost.

Under the DSA, simply saying "it's left to the moderators" is not sufficient. As a company operating a large platform, it needs to establish clearer mechanisms for decisions on deletions and restrictions, appeals, risk assessments, and transparency.

In Japan, too, slander and false information on anonymous boards and social networks have been long-standing issues.

In that sense, the EU's response to Reddit can also serve as a reference for considering platform policies in Japan.

The heaviest theme for Roblox is "child safety"

In the case of Roblox, there is another issue.

Although known as a game company, Roblox is essentially a massive user-generated platform where users create games and virtual spaces, and others play in them.

Games, social networks, chat, creator economy, and virtual item trading all exist on a single service.

And most importantly, it has many young users.

For services with many minors, various issues must be considered, including not only inappropriate content but also contact with unknown adults, fraudulent transactions, billing, advertising, long usage times, and communication not suitable for their age.

On social networks, there was a noticeable reaction welcoming more progress in Roblox's child safety measures in response to this regulation.

The EU requires large platforms to continuously examine "what risks the service design might pose to children," not just deal with incidents after they occur.

This concept will likely become important in Japan as well.

The boundary between online games and social networks has already become blurred. Even if children think they are playing a game, there are chats, videos, advertisements, billing, and interactions with unknown users within it.

There is an increase in services that cannot be addressed by the traditional classification of "game regulation" or "social network regulation" alone.

On social networks, "more regulation" and "it will become censorship" collide

Following this announcement, active discussions arose on Reddit.

From those welcoming regulation, voices were heard saying, "A service this large should naturally bear responsibility," and "More companies should be targeted."

Particularly regarding Roblox, many opinions welcomed EU intervention for child safety reasons.

There are also reactions that would welcome improvements in Reddit if it leads to greater transparency of recommendation algorithms, data verification by researchers, and the ability to appeal moderation decisions.

On the other hand, there are strong voices of caution.

Concerns about freedom of expression include "Will surveillance increase under the guise of online safety?" and "Will the government intervene excessively in the content of speech?"

There were also posts worrying that age verification might be linked to privacy, ultimately requiring the submission of identification or facial information.

However, it is necessary to distinguish here.

The designation of ChatGPT, Reddit, and Roblox as VLOP/VLOSE does not immediately mean that all users are required to submit identification.

There are cases where separate policy discussions on protecting minors and age verification in Europe are being confused with the DSA on social networks.

Additionally, there were many questions like "Why can the EU regulate a US company?"

This is a recurring point of contention in regulations concerning giant IT companies.

Even if a company's headquarters are in the US, they must comply with EU laws as long as they provide services in the EU market. The basic structure is the same when Japanese companies conduct business in Europe.

Reactions on social networks are not opinion polls but merely the views of users participating in specific communities. However, judging by the reactions, it seems clear that the biggest point of contention in future digital regulations will be the balance of "safety," "privacy," and "freedom of expression."

So, what is happening in Japan?

This is the part that is important for Japan.

In Japan, information on the internet and generative AI are not entirely "unregulated."

In 2025, the "Act on the Promotion of Research and Development and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence-Related Technologies," commonly known as the AI Act, was fully enacted.

The Japanese government has set "balancing innovation promotion and risk response" as its basic stance on AI.

In the revised Basic Plan on Artificial Intelligence in 2026, the direction is shown to expand AI use and development while focusing on "trustworthy AI," making Japan a country where AI development and utilization are easy.

In other words, Japan currently leans more towards enhancing AI use and industrial competitiveness while strengthening risk measures as needed, rather than imposing strict regulations from the start.

Regarding social networks and bulletin boards, there is the "Act on Measures for Information Distribution Platforms."

Large platform operators are required to expedite responses to rights-infringing information such as defamation and enhance transparency in their operations.

The idea that "large platforms have more responsibility than regular web services" has already been introduced in Japan.

However, the focus differs from the EU's DSA.

Japan's system has been developed mainly around individual issues such as responses to rights-infringing information and victim relief.

In contrast, the EU delves into broader "systemic risks" concerning how the algorithms and designs of large services might pose risks to society as a whole.

This is a significant difference.

What if ChatGPT becomes "search infrastructure" in Japan?

The biggest question posed to Japan by the EU's decision is likely "how to treat generative AI."

Is it AI, a search service, media, or a platform?

If more people start using ChatGPT to look up news, compare products with Perplexity, and have AI decide on travel destinations, generative AI could influence people's decision-making more than traditional search engines or portal sites.

Consider elections, for example.

If more people ask AI, "What are the policy differences between Candidate A and Candidate B?" and decide their vote based solely on the response, the design of AI responses could impact democracy.

The same goes for product purchases.

If AI consistently recommends products from specific companies in response to questions like "What's the best computer under 100,000 yen?" transparency issues arise, similar to search rankings and advertisements.

The impact is even greater in fields like healthcare, finance, and education.

In Japan, once generative AI becomes a major information infrastructure, a system may be needed to oversee not only "whether AI models are safe" but also "how AI services are shaping people's information environments."

The EU can be seen as having started this discussion a step ahead.

The potential ripple effect of EU changes on Japanese services

The DSA designation primarily targets the EU market.

Therefore, the same rules do not immediately apply to Japanese users of ChatGPT, Reddit, or Roblox.

However, it cannot be said that there is no impact at all.

For companies providing services on a global scale, operating completely different systems for the EU, Japan, and the US is costly.

Therefore, there is a possibility that some of the transparency features, safety measures, appeal systems, and protections for minors introduced for the EU will be rolled out as a global standard.

The phenomenon where strict European product and data regulations become the standard for global companies is sometimes referred to as the "Brussels effect."

If the same happens with generative AI, Japanese users may be indirectly affected by EU regulations even if the Japanese government does not change its regulations.

Conversely, if companies make "EU-only special specifications," the future where the functions of ChatGPT or Reddit differ by region is also possible.

In the future, there may be more cases where "the same service name