Meta Halts Release of Advanced AI Models in the EU: Implications and Insights

On July 19, reports indicated that Mark Zuckerberg's Meta will not release an advanced version of its artificial intelligence model in the European Union. This decision stems from the unpredictable actions of regulatory authorities. The owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp is preparing to launch its Llama model in a multimodal format, allowing it to operate across text, video, images, and audio, rather than being limited to just one format. Llama is an open-source model, available for free download and customization. However, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the model will not be available in the EU, emphasizing the growing tension between major tech companies and Brussels amid an increasingly strict regulatory environment.

The spokesperson stated that while the multimodal Llama model will be released in the coming months, the unpredictable nature of European regulations has led to this decision. Brussels is introducing the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, which will take effect next month, along with new regulatory requirements for big tech companies under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Meta's decision regarding the multimodal Llama model is connected to its compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The company has been barred from using posts made by EU users on Facebook and Instagram to train its AI models due to privacy concerns.

The Irish Data Protection Commission, tasked with overseeing Meta's compliance with GDPR, continues discussions with the company regarding model training. Meta is also worried that other EU data regulators could interfere and halt the approval process. A text version of Llama has already launched in the EU, and a new pure text version will soon be available, although these models are not trained on data from EU Meta users. Last month, Apple announced it would not launch certain new AI features in the EU due to concerns about violating the DMA. Meta had intended to integrate its multimodal Llama model into products like Ray-Ban smart glasses and smartphones.

In another development, Meta announced it has temporarily suspended the use of generative AI tools in Brazil after privacy concerns were raised by the Brazilian government regarding the use of user data for model training. The company decided to pause these tools while negotiating with Brazil's data management authorities.