The latest EU regulations, including the AI Act and Digital Markets Act (DMA), are creating a stir in the tech world. Leaders like Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek have raised concerns that these new rules might slow down AI innovation in Europe. For example, Meta has decided to pause the release of its advanced AI models, such as Llama, which can interpret images, in Europe.
Meanwhile, Apple is also adjusting its plans. The tech giant unveiled its new AI-driven features at a recent event, but European users will have to wait. Apple is delaying the release of its AI features, including those in the new iPhone 16, due to regulatory concerns.
Big Tech is suggesting that EU users might miss out on the latest AI innovations due to new digital laws. This would mean Europeans will be "left with AI built for someone else," Meta’s CEO said.
There’s growing concern that the Big Tech is currently opting to pause the rollout of their AI features rather than navigate the complex EU rules.
Noyb, the privacy-focused group led by Max Schrems, recently took legal action against X (Twitter) for using data from over 60 million EU users to train its AI model, Grok, without proper consent and for starting to use users’ data without informing them. The data processing began in May, but users only had the option to opt out starting in mid-July.
In response to these issues, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has initiated court proceedings to halt X’s data processing activities. X recently agreed to stop using European users' data for AI training and will delete any data used to develop Grok before the opt-out option was introduced.
Despite this, Max Schrems from Noyb has emphasised that the complaints against X will remain active until fully resolved. “Basically Twitter got away without any fine, despite a flagrant violation of the law,” Schrems said. “We continue to maintain our complaints, which will have to be properly decided by the DPC soon, without backroom deals,” he added.'
Exciting news on the data privacy front! Starting September 15, 2024, the new Data Privacy Framework will make it easier to transfer personal data from Switzerland to certified U.S. companies. Much like the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, this new setup ensures that Swiss data will be well-protected and streamlines the transfer process without needing additional guarantees. See more details and a list of certified U.S. companies.
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