EU Designates ChatGPT a "Very Large Online Search Engine"

The European Commission officially designated ChatGPT a "Very Large Online Search Engine" (VLOSE) under the Digital Services Act on August 31, 2026. According to Search Engine Journal, it's the first time an AI chatbot has received this classification. Reddit and Roblox were designated "Very Large Online Platforms" (VLOPs) the same day.

The designation is based on user numbers. The DSA classifies a service as "very large" once it averages more than 45 million monthly users in the EU. OpenAI reported roughly 159.1 million average monthly active users in the EU over the six months ending March 31, 2026 — more than three times that threshold. Reddit reported 57.2 million users for the first half of 2026, and Roblox averaged 46.6 million, both clearing the same bar.

ChatGPT now has four months from notification to meet the additional obligations that come with the designation. These include identifying and mitigating systemic risks across its services and algorithms, undergoing an independent audit every year and acting on its recommendations, giving regulators and vetted researchers access to data, ensuring recommender-system transparency (including a non-profiling option), and maintaining a public advertisement repository.

Until now, Google Search and Bing were the only two search engines on this list, both designated when the DSA's first round took effect in April 2023. ChatGPT's addition brings the total to three, and marks the first time a chatbot-style service has been placed under the same regulatory tier as a traditional search engine.

The Commission said the designation means "ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox will now be held to a higher standard of scrutiny and accountability" in the EU. Violations can carry penalties of up to 6% of global annual revenue.

In Korea

The designation is based solely on EU user numbers under the DSA, and this review didn't cover usage outside the EU, including in Korea. Still, this is the first time ChatGPT has been formally treated as search-engine-equivalent for regulatory purposes, so anyone in Korea relying on it as a distribution channel or information source may want to watch the risk assessments, audit results, and ad repository disclosures that follow.

Source: Search Engine Journal, Matt G. Southern, August 31, 2026. Checked September 21, 2026. Read the original