Meta AI in Europe: Launch with Restrictions
Meta AI Launches in the European Union
Following a period of regulatory challenges with European privacy regulators, Meta has announced the official launch of its artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant, Meta AI, within the European Union. This rollout encompasses Meta’s suite of social media platforms.
Limited Feature Set
The functionality offered to European users will be somewhat restricted when contrasted with the capabilities available in the United States, its primary market. A phased implementation is being undertaken to ensure compliance.
Expansion to WhatsApp in the U.K.
In related news, Meta has confirmed to TechCrunch that Meta AI will also become accessible within WhatsApp in the United Kingdom. Previously, access was confined to Facebook, Instagram, and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses since its initial release in October.
U.S. Availability and Capabilities
Since 2023, users in the United States have been able to utilize Meta AI as a versatile assistant. It’s capable of engaging in conversations, providing answers to queries, and even generating images.
Furthermore, the U.S. version offers creative tools, such as the ability to produce stylized selfies. These advanced features are not currently included in the European release.
Broader Regional Rollout
A chat-based iteration of Meta AI was previously introduced in several countries within the Middle East and Africa last month. This week marks the beginning of its expansion to all 27 EU member states.
The rollout extends beyond the EU, encompassing an additional 14 European countries, alongside 21 overseas territories. Included are locations such as Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland.
Group Chat Integration
Beyond individual interactions, Meta AI will also be integrated into group conversations across Meta’s applications. However, this feature will be deployed gradually.
Initial availability within group chats is scheduled for WhatsApp, both in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Challenges to AI Rollout in Europe
Meta’s introduction of Meta AI within the European Union represents a renewed attempt by the parent company of Facebook to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities throughout the region, despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny regarding the utilization of user data for AI model training.
While the tech corporation has been leveraging user-generated content for AI training purposes in the United States for several years, it, alongside other companies, has encountered resistance within the EU. This pushback stems from the region’s robust privacy regulations, notably the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
These regulations necessitate a legally sound justification for processing personal information to train AI models. Last May, Meta began informing EU users about an impending update to its privacy policy. This notification detailed the company’s intention to utilize content from user comments, interactions, status updates, photos, and associated captions for AI training.
Meta justified this data processing as essential for ensuring its AI model accurately reflects “the diverse languages, geography and cultural references of the people in Europe.” However, in June, the company was compelled to temporarily suspend these plans.
This suspension followed examination by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), Meta’s primary data protection regulator within the EU. The DPC expressed concerns regarding Meta’s method of obtaining user consent for data processing.
Specifically, Meta had implemented a complex opt-out system – requiring users to actively prevent their data from being used for AI training – rather than a straightforward opt-in approach. The company attempted to justify this by invoking the “legitimate interests” legal basis under GDPR, asserting compliance with the law.
However, the DPC disagreed with this assessment, forcing Meta to reassess its strategy. Meta has confirmed to TechCrunch that the current iteration of its AI assistant, launched in the EU, has not been trained using data from regional users.
Consequently, the company stated it will not be notifying users or seeking their consent, as it maintains the technology hasn’t been developed using their information. “The model powering these Meta AI features wasn’t trained on first-party data from users in the EU,” explained Anna Dack, Meta’s innovation communications manager for EMEA, to TechCrunch.
Similar regulatory hurdles were initially encountered by Meta in the United Kingdom, which, following Brexit, operates outside the EU but maintains a data protection framework largely aligned with GDPR.
Last summer, the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) requested Meta to pause its AI training initiatives due to concerns about its approach to utilizing user data. After Meta modified its opt-out process, making it somewhat less restrictive, the company proceeded to launch Meta AI in the U.K.
This launch occurred without explicit opposition from the U.K. regulator, although the ICO indicated it would “monitor the situation.” When questioned about whether Meta’s AI efforts were currently utilizing data from U.K. users, a spokesperson referred TechCrunch to a September announcement.
This announcement stated that the company would commence training its models on user content “in the coming months,” implying that the technology is not yet ready for public deployment.
Meta AI Launches in the EU with Initial Limitations
Meta AI is now available within the European Union, but initially functions as an “intelligent chat function” across six languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian.
Currently, the tool operates as a chatbot integrated directly into Meta’s suite of applications, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook. Users can activate the assistant by tapping a blue circle icon and pose questions similar to those directed at a search engine.
Integration into Messaging Platforms
The feature’s rollout to group chats will be phased. It begins with WhatsApp, with plans for expansion to Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging in the near future.
Within these platforms, the assistant can be summoned by typing "@MetaAI" followed by a query. For example, users can ask for restaurant recommendations or information about local attractions.
Understanding Search IntentMeta asserts that Meta AI possesses a sophisticated understanding of user search intent. However, this claim does not imply personalized suggestions based on individual user data.
Instead, the company clarifies that this enhanced understanding relates to a more intuitive and efficient content search experience.
Future Expansion and Regulatory Scrutiny
This launch is presented as the “first step” in Meta’s broader strategy to introduce more AI capabilities to the European market.
The company aims to eventually achieve feature parity with the United States. This goal will likely involve ongoing negotiations and potential conflicts with EU regulators, given Meta’s previous criticisms of European AI regulations.
Response from the Data Protection Commission
TechCrunch contacted the Data Protection Commission (DPC) for comment regarding the Meta AI launch in the EU.
A spokesperson for the DPC stated that the organization, as the Lead Supervisory Authority for Meta, has been actively examining Meta AI in collaboration with other EU/EEA Supervisory Authorities. They will continue to monitor the tool as it becomes available to users over the coming weeks.
