Meta Joins Organizations Calling on EU To Lessen AI Regulations

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is one of 49 signatories to a new open letter that urges EU regulators to loosen the reigns on AI development in order to avoid the region falling behind the rest of the world in the broader AI race.

As per the letter, various AI-related organizations are calling on EU governing bodies to eliminate red tape, and enable them to maximize their projects.

As per the letter:

“We are a group of companies, researchers and institutions integral to Europe and working to serve hundreds of millions of Europeans. We want to see Europe succeed and thrive, including in the field of cutting-edge AI research and technology. But the reality is Europe has become less competitive and less innovative compared to other regions and it now risks falling further behind in the AI era due to inconsistent regulatory decision making.”

Indeed, various companies have had to exclude EU, and/or establish specific provisions, in order to implement their AI projects in the region. EU regulations stipulate that users grant explicit permission for varying data usage, and as such, that’s slowed the progress of most AI offerings in EU markets.

Meta, for example, has had to delay the roll out of its AI chatbot in Europe, despite other regions getting access to its AI tools months back.

Back in June, Meta was forced to add an opt-out for EU users who don’t want their posts used for AI training, via the EU’s “Right to Object” option, while EU authorities are still exploring the implications of using personal data for AI training, and how that meshes with its Digital Services Act (DSA).  

Which has rankled Meta’s top brass.

As noted by Meta’s Head of Global Affairs Nick Clegg in a recent interview:

“Given its sheer size, the European Union should do more to try and catch up with the adoption and development of new technologies in the U.S., and not confuse taking a lead on regulation with taking a lead on the technology.”

Meta’s argument, which is supported by the 48 other signatories on the letter, is that the EU risks losing parity with other regions, which could impede broader progress.

“Europe faces a choice that will impact the regions for decades. It can choose to reassert the principle of harmonization enshrined in regulatory frameworks like the GDPR so that AI innovation happens here at the same scale and speed as elsewhere. Or, it can continue to reject progress, betray the ambitions of the single market and watch as the rest of the world builds on technologies that Europeans will not have access to.”

It’s a compelling angle, yet, at the same time, users should have the right to object if they don’t want their personal updates used in AI training, which EU regulations support in every other aspect.

As such, it makes sense for European regulators to weigh the various considerations here, and it’ll be interesting to see whether they’ll be swayed by a collection of business owners (including Ericsson, Spotify, SAP, and more) who stand to benefit the most from loosened regulations.

The broader concern is that we’re moving too fast with AI development, which, much like social media before it, could lead to harms if regulatory groups don’t take a more measured approach.

With social media, we’ve mostly dealt with such concerns in retrospect, which EU officials are seeking to avoid this time around, by implementing protections ahead of time. But with pressure mounting, it could see some elements overlooked, in favor of progress.

Which, in the long run, is probably not the best approach, but EU authorities will now need to weigh the sentiments of this new push, among various other considerations for the future of AI development.

There are fair notes on both sides, but I’m not sure that I agree with corporate entities applying public pressure to regulatory groups, in order to benefit their interests.