Meta Will Use Public Posts On Facebook And Instagram In UK To Train AI

Meta Platforms will restart training on its artificial intelligence model (AI) (photo: ary/voi.id)

JAKARTA - Meta Platforms will restart training on its artificial intelligence model (AI) using public content shared by adult users on Facebook and Instagram in the UK in the coming months. The move comes after Meta delayed AI training in the region following a refusal from privacy regulators.

Meta will take advantage of public posts, including photos, captions, and comments, to train its generative AI model. However, the company insists that this training will not include private messages or information from user accounts under the age of 18.

The announcement comes after Meta decided in mid-June to delay the launch of the AI model in Europe. The delay was due to a warning from the Irish privacy regulator asking Meta to delay plans for data usage from social media posts. Meta also said that the delay would give time to respond to requests from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

"Since we stopped training our generative AI model in the UK in response to feedback from regulators, we have had a positive dialogue with ICO... this clarity will help us bring a Meta AI product to the UK sooner," Meta said in a blog, on Friday, September 13, 2024.

Starting next week, Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will receive notifications in apps explaining company procedures as well as how they can refuse the use of their data for AI training.

ICO also confirmed that Meta has made changes to its approach since the plan was postponed in June. The company is now simplifying the way users can reject their data processing and extending the time period for them to take rejection.

In June, Meta's plans faced resistance from the NOYB advocacy group, which urged national privacy watchdogs across Europe to stop using the social media content. NOYB stated that the notifications given by Meta were insufficient compliance with the strict privacy and transparency rules imposed by the European Union.