Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently announced that it would be utilizing public posts to train its artificial intelligence model called Llama 2. The company plans to collect data on United Kingdom users in the coming months, causing backlash and concern among many users. The goal is to have generative AI that reflects British culture, history, and idiom. However, this announcement has ignited fury among users in the UK, who feel that Meta is overstepping its boundaries.
In June, Meta had paused its more personal AI development in the UK due to conflicts with European Union privacy laws. However, last month governing bodies in the UK agreed to allow an experimental attempt at the AI under strict monitoring. The company claims that private messages and content from users under the age of 18 are off limits and offers an opt-out feature called an ‘objection form’ strictly for the UK. However, there is concern about the lack of privacy laws in the United States, which could limit users’ ability to opt out.
Despite the company’s assurances, many users remain skeptical and outraged over Meta’s decision to use public post data for AI training. Some users have expressed their anger on social media, stating that Meta should not have the right to train their AI using people’s personal posts. The situation has escalated to the point where a hoax text message is circulating on social media, falsely claiming that users can opt out of the AI model training by posting a specific statement. However, this is not a legitimate way to opt out of the AI training.
As the controversy surrounding Meta’s AI training continues to escalate, the company’s reputation among users is at stake. Many are questioning the ethics of using people’s public posts for AI training purposes without their consent. The issue raises concerns about privacy and data protection, particularly in countries like the UK where strict privacy laws are in place. It remains to be seen how Meta will address these concerns and whether they will make any changes to their AI training practices in response to the backlash.
