Meta is set to train its AI models using public content from adult users within the European Union. This initiative, following Meta’s recent AI feature rollout in Europe, aims to fine-tune the AI’s performance and cultural relevance for the region’s diverse user base.
“We’re announcing plans to train AI at Meta using public content – like public posts and comments – shared by adults on our products in the EU,” Meta announced. Interactions with Meta AI, like queries, will also be used to improve the models.
EU users of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger will be notified about this data usage. Notifications will detail what type of public data will be used and provide a form to object. Meta says they will honor objections, even those submitted prior.
Private messages and data from users under 18 in the EU will be excluded from training data. Meta framed this as a crucial step to create AI tools specifically for EU users, as indicated by the recent launch of AI chatbot functionality across Meta’s European messaging apps. “We believe we have a responsibility to build AI that’s not just available to Europeans, but is actually built for them,” the company stated.
Meta notes the practice is common in the industry. Google and OpenAI have already used European user data to train their AI models. Meta claims to be transparent by working with regulators and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) who gave a favorable opinion back in December 2024.
Despite this, using large amounts of public user data for training large language models (LLMs) and generative AI raises concerns about data privacy. The definition of “public” data, opt-out system effectiveness, and the risk of AI models replicating societal biases are areas of worry. Questions about copyright and intellectual property, as well as data selection and filtering, also remain.
As Meta moves forward with its plans in the EU, expect debate around data privacy, informed consent, algorithmic bias, and the ethics of AI developers to continue in Europe and around the world. This highlights user-generated content as fuel for the AI economy.
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