Spotify Joins Meta in Open Letter to EU Decrying AI Regulation
Meta, Spotify, and several other companies and researchers have signed an open letter claiming that Europe has become less competitive and risks falling behind in the age of AI. The signatories seek “harmonized, consistent, quick and clear decisions” from data privacy regulators to “enable European data to be used in AI training for the benefit of Europeans.”
Issues with GDPR
The letter specifically takes issue with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which passed in 2018. Meta has halted plans to harvest data from European users to train AI models after privacy regulators exerted pressure on the company and imposed fines for failing to comply with privacy laws.
Challenges Faced by Meta
Meta has faced record fines in the EU for breaching privacy laws, including a fine of 1.2 billion euros under the GDPR. Europe has been leading in framing major legislation around the use of AI, with its AI Act coming into force earlier this year. Meta has postponed the release of products in the European market, such as the Twitter alternative Threads.
Call for Action
“We hope European policymakers and regulators recognize the importance of making changes. Europe cannot afford to miss out on the extensive benefits from responsibly built open AI technologies that will drive economic growth and advance scientific research,” the letter emphasizes.
“For that, we need harmonized, consistent, quick and clear decisions under EU data regulations that allow European data to be utilized in AI training for the benefit of Europeans. Decisive action is crucial to unleash the creativity, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit that will secure Europe’s prosperity, growth, and technological leadership,” the letter concludes.
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