Meta’s latest move is making waves as it brings its AI-powered virtual assistant, Meta AI, to the European Union. This isn’t just another tech launch; it’s a complex dance around Europe’s stringent privacy regulations. If you’re in the EU, you’ll soon see Meta AI popping up in your favorite social platforms, though with a few limitations compared to its U.S. counterpart.
For those in the UK, Meta AI will soon be joining WhatsApp, expanding from its previous presence on Facebook, Instagram, and the trendy Ray-Ban Meta glasses. While Meta AI has been a household name in the U.S. since 2023, offering features like chat and image generation, these won’t be making their European debut just yet.
Meta has already rolled out a chat-based version of its AI in select Middle Eastern and African countries. Starting this week, Meta AI will be available across all 27 EU nations and an additional 14 European countries, including Iceland and Switzerland. Initially, it will appear in one-to-one chats on Meta’s various apps, with WhatsApp being the first to offer this in both the EU and the UK.
Meta’s European expansion is a bold step, especially given the challenges of complying with privacy laws like the GDPR. These regulations require companies to have a valid reason for processing personal data. While Meta has been using user-generated content for AI training in the U.S., its European strategy hit a snag. Last year, Meta informed European users about a privacy policy update to use their content for AI training, but the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) objected to the consent methods, halting the initiative.
Meta’s approach relied on a GDPR provision called “legitimate interests,” which involved a complex opt-out mechanism instead of a straightforward opt-in process. This didn’t sit well with regulators. As a result, Meta confirmed that the European version of Meta AI hasn’t been trained on local user data, and they won’t be seeking user consent.
In the UK, even post-Brexit, data protection laws still closely mirror GDPR standards. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) had similar concerns, requesting Meta to pause its AI training activities. After tweaking its opt-out process, Meta successfully launched Meta AI in the UK, with the ICO keeping a watchful eye.
For now, Meta AI in Europe will offer an “intelligent chat function” in six languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian. You can engage with this feature on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook by tapping a blue circle icon and asking questions like you would with a search engine. While it boasts “an advanced understanding of what you’re looking for,” it doesn’t rely on personalized data suggestions.
Meta emphasizes that this is just the start of its AI journey in Europe, with aspirations to eventually match the U.S. feature set. This move is sure to fuel more discussions between Meta and EU regulators, as the company has been vocal about its views on European AI regulations.
