Meta announced yesterday, Wednesday, that it has decided to suspend the use of generative AI tools in Brazil. This decision comes in response to objections from the government concerning the new privacy policy related to personal data and artificial intelligence.
Meta stated in a release that it has decided to suspend the tools during its discussions with Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority, in order to address the authority’s concerns regarding generative tools.
Earlier this month, the Brazilian authority decided to suspend Meta’s ability to use personal data for training generative AI systems in the country.
The commission ruled that the company would have to amend its privacy policy to remove the section related to processing personal data for artificial intelligence training purposes.
Brazil, with a population exceeding 200 million people, is a key market for the company.
For instance, Brazil ranks second after India in terms of the number of users of the WhatsApp application, which is owned by Meta.
In June, the company organized an event in São Paulo, Brazil to launch a groundbreaking program specifically for businesses. This program targets WhatsApp users with advertisements utilizing artificial intelligence technology.
However, the regulatory body deemed the new privacy policy terms of Meta, which became effective starting from June 26th, as posing a “imminent risk of severe and irreparable harm to fundamental rights” for users of its platforms.
Critics have also pointed out the “insufficient” information regarding the “potential consequences” of using personal data in artificial intelligence development.
The company’s use of personal data to train artificial intelligence systems has led to significant criticism in several countries.
In mid-June, complaints across 11 countries led to the suspension of the new privacy policy being implemented in the European Union.
In response, Meta expressed its “disappointment” with the Brazilian authorities’ decision to suspend Meta’s right to use personal data for training its artificial intelligence technologies, describing the decision as a “setback for innovation and competitiveness”.
She also expressed her dissatisfaction with the delay in training her artificial intelligence within European Union countries, pointing out that her services will be of lower quality if she is not permitted to use user data to train her systems.
