EU DSA VLOSE Regulatory Matrix for AI Search

System Parameters DSA / AI ACT

Precedent Presets

Service / System Entity Name

Monthly Active EU Users (75M)

DSA Art. 33(1) threshold: 45M (10% of EU population)

5M (Standard) 45M (VLOSE Threshold) 300M

Global Annual Turnover (€ Billions)

Used to compute statutory liability ceilings

Architectural Retrieval Capabilities

Search engine criteria under DSA Art. 2(j)

Web Crawling & Indexing (Queries external web pages) Generative Query Synthesis (Generates summarized answers) External Link Citations (Directs traffic to sources) Third-Party Plugin / RAG Retrieval (Live browsing) Ad-Supported Search Results (DSA Art. 39 transparency)

Regulatory Classification & Obligations 3 FRAMEWORKS TRIGGERED

Precedent Insight: As reported, the European Commission designated ChatGPT as a Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE) under the Digital Services Act. Why? "Not because of what OpenAI calls it. Because of what it does." When an LLM crawls, queries, and directs users to web results, it functions as a search engine under EU law.

DESIGNATION VERDICT

Very Large Online Search Engine (VLOSE, DSA Art. 33)

System exceeds 45M monthly active EU recipients and performs automated search engine indexing/query retrieval across the web. Subject to highest-tier European Commission direct supervision.

Statutory Maximum Financial Liability Turnover Percentages

DSA Max Penalty (Art. 52) €240M Up to 6% of global annual turnover

EU AI Act Penalty (Art. 99) €280M Up to 7% or €35M (whichever is higher)

Mandatory Statutory Compliance Checklist 7 MANDATORY

Statutory Requirement	Legal Basis	Status for System