Meta launched an open letter calling for urgent reform of AI regulation in the EU. The letter, which has garnered the support of more than 50 leading companies, including Ericsson, SAPand Spotify – was released as an advertisement in the The Financial Times.
The collective voice of these industry leaders highlights a pressing problem: Europe’s bureaucratic approach to AI regulation could stifle innovation and cause the region to lag behind its global peers.
“Europe has become less competitive and less innovative compared to other regions and now risks falling further behind in the AI era due to inconsistent regulatory decisions,” the letter said, painting a bleak picture of the continent’s current position in the AI race.
The signatories emphasize two key areas of concern. First, they emphasize the development of “open” models, which are freely available for use, modification, and further development. These models are praised for their potential to “multiply benefits and spread social and economic opportunities” while simultaneously strengthening sovereignty and control.
Second, the letter highlights the importance of “multimodal” models, which integrate text, images and speech. The signatories argue that moving from a text-only model to a multimodal model is comparable to “the difference between having one sense and having five.” They argue that such advanced models could significantly increase productivity, boost scientific research and inject hundreds of billions of euros into the European economy.
However, the heart of the problem lies in the regulatory context. The letter expresses frustration at the uncertainty surrounding the use of data for training AI models, stemming from interventions by European data protection authorities. This ambiguity, they argue, could result in the absence of crucial Europe-specific training data for large language models (LLMs).
To address these challenges, the signatories call for “harmonised, coherent, rapid and clear decisions under the European data regulation, which enable the use of European data in training AI for the benefit of Europeans”. They stress the need for “decisive action” to unleash Europe’s potential for creativity, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, which they say is essential for the region’s prosperity and technological leadership.
A copy of the letter can be found below:
While the letter acknowledges the importance of consumer protection, it also highlights the delicate balance regulators must strike to avoid hindering commercial progress. The European Commission’s approach to regulation has often been criticized for being perceived as too authoritarian, and this latest call from industry leaders reinforces growing concerns about the region’s global competitiveness in the AI sector.
Pressure is rapidly mounting on European policy makers to create a regulatory environment which promotes innovation while maintaining appropriate guaranteesThe coming months will likely see an intensified dialogue between industry players and regulators as they tackle these complex issues that will shape the future of AI development in Europe.
(Photo by Sara Kurfess)
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