Meta is restarting its artificial intelligence training in Europe, this time with a clearer plan and nod from regulators.

Meta AI Training Resumes in Europe

On Monday, Meta announced it will begin using publicly shared content from European users to train its AI models. That includes posts and comments made by adults on Facebook and Instagram across the 27-nation EU bloc. The move marks a restart of efforts that were paused last year due to privacy concerns.

“People’s interactions with Meta AI — like questions and queries — will also be used to train and improve our models,” the company said in a blog post.

Privacy Challenges and Regulatory Green Light

Meta had hit a roadblock in Europe due to the region’s strict data privacy rules, which let individuals control how their data is used. The Austrian-based privacy group NOYB, led by Max Schrems, had raised objections to Meta’s AI training practices and filed complaints urging regulators to intervene.

However, Meta now says a panel of EU privacy watchdogs confirmed in December that its approach meets legal requirements. The company emphasized it won’t use private messages for training, and stressed that competitors like Google and OpenAI have already tapped into similar EU user data for their own models.

Transparency and Opt-Out Options

To address user concerns, Meta will begin notifying EU users about its AI training and provide a form allowing them to opt out. “We’ll honor all objection forms,” the company said, promising transparency as it rolls out AI features that had previously been delayed in Europe.

The decision follows the launch of Meta AI in European markets — much later than in the U.S. and elsewhere — as the company races to catch up with rivals in the generative AI space.