Meta Platforms has postponed the launch of its artificial intelligence (AI) models in Europe following directives from the Irish regulator, according to a report by Reuters. Meta made the announcement on Friday.
Meta’s AI models will rely heavily on personal data of users on Facebook and Instagram, which has caused privacy concerns within the digital rights advocacy circles. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC)’s order comes after noyb (none of your business) — an advocacy group based in Austria — initiated a complaint against Meta’s AI ventures.
The complaints were issued to data protection authorities (DPAs) in 11 countries, including Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, and Spain. The group called for immediate measures against Meta’s launch of its AI models, saying it would violate data privacy by not giving users the option to opt out of sharing of their personal information.
In a statement released on June 14, Meta said it was “disappointed” by the DPC’s order to halt the launch of its AI models.
“We’re disappointed by the request from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), our lead regulator, on behalf of the European DPAs, to delay training our large language models (LLMs) using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram — particularly since we incorporated regulatory feedback and the European DPAs have been informed since March,” Meta said in an updated blogpost on its AI projects that was originally posted on June 10.
The company said the DPC’s orders would impede innovation and competition in AI in Europe, adding that it would delay bringing the benefits of AI to the users in the region.
“We remain highly confident that our approach complies with European laws and regulations,” said Meta. “AI training is not unique to our services, and we’re more transparent than many of our industry counterparts.”
The tech conglomerate added that it would “only be able to offer people a second-rate experience” in Europe if local information was not included in its AI training models.
“This means we aren’t able to launch Meta AI in Europe at the moment.”
