Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, announced on Monday that it will resume using publicly available content from European users to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models. This decision comes after a pause last year due to concerns over data privacy raised by activists.
Training Data Sources
The company will use public posts and comments shared by adult users across the 27-nation European Union to enhance its AI systems. Additionally, interactions between users and Meta AI, such as questions and queries, will contribute to the training and improvement of these models.
Background and Controversy
Meta’s decision to proceed with AI training was initially halted due to stringent EU data privacy laws, which grant individuals control over their personal information usage. The Vienna-based group NOYB, led by activist Max Schrems, had lodged complaints with various national privacy watchdogs, urging them to intervene before Meta commenced training its next-generation AI models.
Response to Privacy Concerns
Despite these concerns, Meta noted that a panel of EU privacy regulators had affirmed in December that its original approach complied with legal obligations. The company emphasized that it would not utilize private messages for AI training and argued that it was merely following the precedent set by competitors like Google and OpenAI, who have already used European user data to train their AI models.
User Notification and Objection Process
Meta stated that it would notify EU users about the AI training and provide a link to a form where they could object at any time. The company assured that it would honor all objection forms submitted by users.
By resuming its AI training efforts, Meta aims to advance its AI capabilities while navigating the complex landscape of EU data privacy regulations.
