Meta's AI needs social media data to learn 'Australian concepts'
What's the story
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has urged the Australian government not to change its privacy laws. The tech giant says these changes would stop it from using personal information from Facebook and Instagram posts to train its artificial intelligence (AI), which needs to learn "how individuals discuss Australian concepts." In a submission to the Productivity Commission's review on data use and digital technology, Meta argued for a "global policy alignment" in Australia's privacy reform efforts.
Data dependency
'Generative AI models need large and diverse datasets'
Meta emphasized that generative AI models need "large and diverse datasets" to function effectively. The company said these models can't be trained on synthetic data alone, or data generated by AI. It also noted that existing databases like Australian legislation aren't as useful for training AI when compared to datasets with personal information from users' posts on its platforms.
Training challenges
Training Llama on publicly available posts
Meta has been training its AI model, Llama, on publicly available posts from Facebook and Instagram since last year. However, the company was ordered to halt this practice for users based in Europe. In response to these regulations, Meta gave EU users an opt-out option. However, the same wasn't extended to Australian users as it was an "opt-out" in response to a very specific legal framework.
Regulatory fears
Meta warns changes could disincentivize investment in AI
In its submission to the Productivity Commission, Meta expressed concerns that recent developments are making Australia's privacy regime out of step with international norms. The company said these changes are imposing obligations on the industry that conflict with broader digital policy objectives. It also warned that such moves could disincentivize industry investment in AI in Australia or pro-consumer outcomes.
Corporate responses
Bunnings, Woolworths also weigh in on the matter
Hardware giant Bunnings, which is appealing a privacy commissioner finding against its trial of facial recognition technology, also criticized Australia's privacy laws.The company said while it was "committed to protecting customer privacy," it believed "every team member deserves to feel safe at work, and every customer should be able to shop without fear of harm." Woolworths, an Australian retail chain, supported the reform but warned that current proposals could create unnecessary challenges in providing personalized engagement for customers.