Meta said it will delay the launch and training of its AI assistant in Europe following a request from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC).
According to a June 10 statement, the regulator asked Meta to postpone training in large language models (LLM), which uses public content that adults share on Facebook and Instagram.
Ireland’s DPC acts as Meta’s lead privacy regulator in the EU and has made the request on behalf of the European Data Protection Authorities (DPAs).
The lack of local information means users would get a ‘second-class experience’.
Meta said:
“This means that we cannot currently launch Meta AI in Europe.”
Meta said it was “disappointed” by the request and called it a “step backwards” for AI competition and innovation in the EU. The company added that it is confident that it complies with European regulations.
The Irish DPC approved the training break. It said it “welcomes the decision” and will continue to work with Meta following previous “intensive engagement.”
European privacy non-profit organization NOYB said complaints from itself, other organizations such as the Norwegian Consumer Council and certain DPAs prompted Ireland’s DPC to make the request to pause Meta’s operations.
The situation has developed over months
Meta said on June 14 that it had informed European data protection authorities about its activities since March.
However, the situation developed after Meta started informing users about its AI training activities on May 22 through more than two billion in-app notifications and emails.
NOYB sent complaints to 11 DPCs on June 6.
On June 10, Meta acknowledged consultation with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) and said it had integrated feedback to ensure its AI training courses complied with AI laws.
Meta noted that Google and OpenAI are already using AI for training user data. The company expects to comply with the laws of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the basis of ‘legitimate interest’, a flexible provision that others in the AI industry have relied on.