The European Commission has classified ChatGPT as a very large search engine under the Digital Services Act, according to The Decoder, putting OpenAI’s chatbot into a stricter EU oversight category for the first time. The Commission announced the move Monday in Brussels, the outlet reports. The classification turns on two points in The Decoder’s account: ChatGPT can search the web and respond to user queries, and it reaches at least 45 million monthly users in the European Union. That user level is the threshold for the Digital Services Act category cited in the report. OpenAI now has four months, until the end of December 2026, to meet the additional obligations that attach to the designation. The Decoder says those requirements include assessing risks to users, including illegal content, risks to minors, and election interference. The compliance list also includes a publicly viewable ad archive, data access for approved researchers, semiannual transparency reports, reporting mechanisms for illegal content, a complaints process, and a crisis response mechanism. The Commission also gains broader audit powers, working with authorities in Ireland and the Netherlands, according to the report. The Decoder reports that Reddit and Roblox are being reclassified at the same time as very large online platforms, because users can share content from other users on those services. With the three additions, the outlet says 28 platforms and search engines are now classified under the Digital Services Act. The most important unresolved question is how far the data-access obligation can reach for an AI chatbot. The Decoder says legal experts dispute whether researcher access could include training data or model weights. It cites Natali Helberger, a University of Amsterdam law professor, via Tech Policy Press, saying the classification raises questions about whether Article 40 access could extend that far if needed to identify systemic risk or assess mitigation measures. The report also notes a boundary: the classification does not explicitly give the Commission authority to test the models directly. That leaves the near-term effect clearer on compliance reporting, risk assessment, auditability, and access mechanisms than on direct technical inspection of ChatGPT’s underlying model systems. Who benefits: EU regulators and approved researchers gain more formal channels for oversight and access. Users may also benefit if the required reporting and complaints systems make risks and moderation processes more visible. Who's exposed: OpenAI faces a defined compliance deadline and broader audit exposure in the EU. Other AI services that combine search-like functions with large European user bases may face closer scrutiny if they meet similar criteria.