Meta Platforms has temporarily halted the launch of its latest intelligence technology in Britain and the European Union due to concerns over different AI laws.
While new AI products, including smart glasses and digital assistants, will be rolled out in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, Europe is facing delays.
Meta cited uncertainty about the data that could be used to train AI models as the reason for the delay in the launch. An open letter from 59 technology companies, including Meta, warned that Europe is at risk of falling behind in the AI race due to inconsistent regulation. The signatories, including Ericsson and Spotify, argue that Europe has become too competitive compared to other regions.
Meta AI is expected to launch in the UK before the EU as the company continues plans to use social content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram to train its AI models. However, the Information Commissioner’s Office raised questions about the use of data, which led Meta to simplify the process for users to opt out of data processing. In the EU, regulators have said Meta’s systems do not meet privacy and transparency requirements.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed at the company’s Connect conference that Meta AI, the company’s competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, already has 400 million monthly users, despite not being available in Europe. He also unveiled the first prototype of Meta’s augmented-reality glasses, Orion.
