Meta delays AI launch in Europe as it faces complaints over data protection

Meta has postponed the launch of its AI models in Europe following guidance from Ireland’s privacy regulators to delay its plans to use data from Facebook and Instagram users, according to the U.S. social media company’s announcement on Friday.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) requested that the tech giant delay training its large language model on behalf of the European data protection authorities. Meta said on its site that it was “disappointed” by the decision.

“This is a step backwards for European innovation, competition in AI development and further delays bringing the benefits of AI to people in Europe,” the company said.

In reply, Irish authorities “The DPC welcomes the decision by Meta to pause its plans to train its large language model using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram across the EU/EEA,” the Irish regulator responded. “This decision followed intensive engagement between the DPC and Meta. The DPC, in cooperation with its fellow EU data protection authorities, will continue to engage with Meta on this issue,” it continued.

The decision to delay its AI model launch in Europe was due to objections and a plea from the advocacy group NOYB (“none of your business”) last week to data protection authorities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Spain to intervene against the company.

NOYB’s chair Max Schrems said: “Meta is basically saying that it can use ‘any data from any source for any purpose and make it available to anyone in the world’, as long as it’s done via ‘AI technology’. This is clearly the opposite of GDPR compliance. ‘AI technology’ is an extremely broad term.”

(Preliminary) noyb win: @Meta stops using EU/EEA data for "Meta AI" after 11 complaints by noyb and mounting criticism by other EU/EEA data protection authorities!