Meta Adds AI Features to Ray-Ban Glasses in Europe - Global Asia Times
After a brief delay, Meta has begun to roll out certain AI features to users of its Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses in France, Italy, and Spain. Starting today, people in those countries can use Meta’s AI assistant. Using their voice to get answers to general questions (e.g. “What are some gift ideas for my children aged 6 and 8?”). Meta AI now supports French, Italian, and Spanish in addition to English as part of the update, according to Meta.
“Since we launched in September 2023, we have been working to ensure that Ray-Ban Meta glasses comply with Europe’s regulatory system,” the company wrote in a blog post. “We will begin bringing Meta AI and its features to parts of the EU and plan to expand to more European countries soon.”
Upgrade Details
The upgrade won’t include multimodal features available on Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, including the ability to receive answers to questions about what is in view of the glasses’ camera (e.g., “Tell me more about this landmark”). Meta states that it is working to expand multimodality to additional countries in the future.
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Meta has previously stated concerns about its capability to comply with the AI Act, the EU law that establishes a legal and regulatory framework for AI has raised concerns regarding its implementation. Additionally, there are considerations for the company related to provisions in the GDPR, the EU’s privacy law, that pertain to AI training. Meta trains AI models, including the models that power features of its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, using the public data of Instagram and Facebook users who have not opted out, which is subject to GDPR regulations in Europe.
Regulatory Compliance
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EU regulators earlier this year requested that Meta pause training on European user data while they assessed the company’s GDPR compliance. Meta agreed to this request while also endorsing an open letter calling for a “modern interpretation” of GDPR that accommodates advancements.
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In early fall, Meta announced that it would resume training on U.K. user data after incorporating regulatory feedback into a revised opt-out process. Shortly afterward, the company introduced certain AI capabilities to Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the U.K. and six other countries. However, Meta has not provided an update on its model training practices in other parts of the European Union.
Source: TechCrunch
