Meta Decides Not to Launch its Meta AI in Europe
In response to a request from the Irish privacy regulator about user data obtained from Facebook and Instagram, Meta Platforms has decided not to release its artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI, in Europe at this time. This decision comes after the 
US social media business made this announcement.
Reason Behind the Decision
Following complaints, advocacy group NOYB called on data protection authorities in several European countries to take action against Meta. This prompted Meta to pause the launch of Meta AI in Europe. The intention of Meta to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models on personal data without obtaining proper authorization raised concerns, despite the company's assurance that it would only use publicly available and licensed online content.
"We're disappointed by the request from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) on behalf of the European DPAs... particularly since we incorporated regulatory feedback and the European DPAs have been informed since March," the company stated.
Meta explained that without the ability to include local data, the user experience with Meta AI in Europe would be compromised, leading to the decision to postpone the launch.
Concerns Raised
According to Meta, the Irish privacy watchdog requested the delay in utilizing public content from adult Facebook and Instagram users to train its large language models (LLMs). The company believed this request hindered European competition and innovation in AI development. The Data Protection Commission praised Meta's decision to delay the launch, mentioning that it followed extensive consultations with the regulator.
The concerns over Meta's approach to training AI models on personal data without proper authorization continue to be at the center of the debate, despite the company's claims of using only publicly available and licensed online data sources.
