The move is expected to greatly impact any company planning to build services based on Meta's AI models and offer them in Europe .
As reported by Axios, Meta has confirmed that it will release the multimodal Llama model in the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment.
These models are designed to handle not only text but also images and audio, and support AI capabilities on the Meta platform as well as Ray-Ban smart glasses.
In a statement to Axios, Meta said: “We will release the multimodal Llama model in the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment.”
The decision comes after Apple announced it would also not release Apple Intelligence features in Europe because of regulatory concerns. Margrethe Vesteger, the EU competition commissioner, criticized Apple's move.
Withholding Meta's multimodal AI models from the EU could have far-reaching implications. This means any companies using them to build products and services will not be able to offer them in Europe. However, Meta still plans to release Llama 3, the company's upcoming text-only AI model in the EU.
Meta's main concern stems from the challenges of training AI models using data from European customers while complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the current data protection law. EU action.
In May, Meta announced that it plans to use public posts from Facebook and Instagram users to train future AI models . However, Meta was forced to stop doing this in the EU after receiving feedback from data privacy regulators in the region.
Despite reservations about releasing its multimodal models in the EU, Meta still plans to launch them in the UK, which has similar data protection laws to the EU. The company argues that European regulators are taking longer to interpret existing laws than their counterparts in other regions.
Meta's decision can be understood as a response to regulatory uncertainty and pressure from European regulators. While data protection and privacy regulations in Europe are stricter than in many other regions, the absence of a clear and consistent regulatory framework is making it difficult for technology companies to implementation of new products and services.
