Meta has confirmed that its restarting efforts to train its AI systems using public Facebook and Instagram posts from its U.K. userbase, TechCrunch reported.
The company claims it has “incorporated regulatory feedback” into a revised “opt-out” approach to ensure that it’s “even more transparent,” as its blog post spins it. It is also seeking to paint the move as enabling its generative A! Models to “reflect British culture, history, and idiom.” But its less clear what exactly is different about its latest data grab.
From next week, Meta said U.K. users will start to see in-app notifications explaining what it’s doing. The company then plans to start using public content to train its AI in the coming months — or at least do training data where a user has not actively objected via the process Meta provides.
Meta posted: Building AI Technology for the UK in a Responsible And Transparent Way
We will begin training for AI at Meta using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram in the UK over the coming months. This means that our generative AI models will reflect British culture, history, and idiom, and that UK companies and institutions will be able to utilize the latest technology. We’re building AI at Meta to reflect the diverse communities around the world and we look forward to launching it in more countries and languages later this year.
Since we paused our generative AI models in the UK to address regulatory feedback, we’ve engaged positively with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and welcome the constructive approach that the ICO has taken throughout these discussions. This clarity and certainty will help us bring AI at Meta products to the UK much sooner. We welcome the ICO’s guidance supporting Meta’s implementation of the legal basis of ‘Legitimate Interests’, which can be a valid legal basis for using certain first party data to train generative AI models for our AI at Meta features and experiences….
The Information Commissioner’s Office posted the following:
Stephen Almond, Executive Director Regulatory Risk at the ICO, says:
“In June, Meta paused its plans to use Facebook and Instagram user data to train generative AI in response to a request from the ICO. It has since made changes to its approach, including making it simpler for users to object to the processing and providing them with a longer window to do so. Meta has now taken the decision to resume its plans and we will monitor the situation as Meta moves to inform UK users and commerce processing in the coming weeks.
We have been clear that any organization using its users’ information to train generative AI models needs to be transparent about how people’s data is being used. Organizations should put effective safeguards in place before they start using personal data for model training, including providing a clear and simple route for users to object to the processing. The ICO has not provided regulatory approval for the processing and it is for Meta to ensure and demonstrate ongoing compliance.”
In my opinion, it seems clear that Meta is not really giving people in the UK the opportunity to “opt-out” of having their data stolen by Meta. I wonder how many will stop using Facebook and Instagram as a result.