In the upcoming months, Meta Platforms plan to start training its AI models in the UK with publicly shared content by adults from Facebook and Instagram. The firm had previously stopped training in the UK due to regulatory criticism.
The firm announced on Friday that it will train its generative artificial intelligence models using public postings that includes photographs, descriptions, and comments. It added that the training content would not include private messages or information from user accounts belonging to users who are younger than 18.
The move comes after Meta decided in mid-June to postpone the rollout of its AI models in Europe in response to a directive from the Irish privacy regulator to postpone the company’s intention to collect data from social media posts. Subsequently, the corporation declared that the postponement would enable it to attend to inquiries from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in Britain.
“Since we paused training our generative AI models in the UK to address regulatory feedback, we’ve engaged positively with the ICO … this clarity and certainty will help us bring AI at Meta products to the UK much sooner,” Meta said on Friday.
Next week, Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will begin to receive in-app alerts outlining the company’s policy and describing how they can object to their data being used for training, according to Meta.
According to an ICO statement, Meta has adjusted its strategy after it put a halt to its plans in June. The firm has also expanded the window within which users can object to the processing of their data and made it easier for consumers to do so.
Backlash against Meta’s plans came in June from advocacy organization NOYB, which said that the notifications were insufficient to comply with the strict privacy and transparency regulations of the EU and encouraged national privacy watchdogs throughout Europe to avoid using social network content in this way.
