Public contents on Facebook, Instagram in UK to be used to train AI: Meta

Meta Platforms is set to resume training its artificial intelligence (AI) models using public content shared by adult users on Facebook and Instagram in the UK, according to a recent blog post by the company. This move comes after Meta had paused the initiative in response to regulatory concerns earlier this year.

Over the coming months, Meta will use public posts, including photos, captions, and comments, to train its generative AI models. However, the company stressed that private messages and content from users under the age of 18 will not be included in the training dataset.

The decision to restart the AI training programme follows a delay in mid-June when Meta was asked by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) to halt its plans across Europe. The regulator raised concerns about the use of social media data for AI training, prompting Meta to address these issues. Meta also worked to meet requests from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) during this period.

"Since we paused training our generative AI models in the UK to address regulatory feedback, we've engaged positively with the ICO," the company said in a statement on Friday. Meta added, "This clarity and certainty will help us bring AI at Meta products to the UK much sooner."

Starting next week, users in the UK will receive in-app notifications outlining Meta's data usage policy and providing them with an option to object to their content being used for AI training. The ICO has confirmed that Meta has simplified the process for users to opt out and extended the timeframe in which they can do so.

The pause in Meta's AI training plans in June had been triggered by concerns from advocacy groups like NOYB, which argued that Meta's notifications did not meet the EU's strict privacy and transparency requirements. The group urged national privacy watchdogs across Europe to scrutinise Meta's use of social media content for AI training.