Meta, the company behind Facebook, intends to use social media posts in the UK to train its generative AI models. This will allow Meta’s AI product to “reflect British culture, history, and idioms”. The company believes this will facilitate the adoption of generative AI technology by UK businesses and industries.
“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”, the company has stated.
The operation was originally announced in 2023 but soon met significant backlash owing to security and privacy concerns. Various groups such as the Open Rights Group (ORG) and None of Your Business (NOYB) opposed such an initiative. It was subsequently halted by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the United Kingdom. This plan has also been banned in the EU.
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ICO Guidelines And First-party Data
Meta states it has “engaged positively with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and welcomes the constructive approach that the ICO has taken”. Meta added that the guidance provided by the ICO would help form the basis for “legitimate interests”, allowing the company to collect certain first-party data.
Meta also clarified what data they will collect from users. The company said, “We do not use people’s private messages with friends and family to train for AI at Meta, and we do not use information from accounts of people in the UK under the age of 18. We’ll use public information – such as public posts and comments, or public photos and captions”.
As part of this program, adult users of FaceBook and Instagram in the UK will receive notifications about the data mining process, including access to an objection form. Meta claims it will not contact any user who submits an objection.
