Meta to hold back multimodal AI models from the EU due to regulatory uncertainty

Meta has made the decision to withhold its upcoming multimodal AI model and future versions from customers in the European Union due to a lack of clarity from European regulators. This move follows a similar decision by Apple, which also cited regulatory concerns for not releasing its Apple Intelligence features in Europe.

Challenges with EU Regulations
Meta’s decision not to offer these AI models in the EU could have significant implications for companies using them to develop products and services in Europe. The company’s primary concern lies in the difficulties of training AI models using data from European customers while adhering to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU’s data protection law.

Training Models on European Data
Meta previously announced plans to use publicly available posts from Facebook and Instagram users in Europe to train future AI models. However, the company faced pushback from data privacy regulators in the region and had to halt this practice. Meta argued that training AI models on European data is crucial to accurately reflect local culture and terminology.

Future Plans in the UK
Despite not releasing its multimodal models in the EU, Meta still intends to launch them in the UK, which has similar data protection laws. The company believes that European regulators are taking longer to interpret existing laws compared to regulators in other regions.