Meta has announced the introduction of new AI features to its Ray-Ban Meta glasses in Europe, specifically in France, Italy, and Spain. Users in these countries can now access Meta’s AI assistant, Meta AI, using voice commands to ask general questions. The update includes support for French, Italian, and Spanish languages, in addition to English.
The company has been working diligently to ensure that the Ray-Ban Meta glasses comply with Europe’s regulatory system since their launch in September 2023. Meta expressed excitement about bringing Meta AI and its innovative features to parts of the EU and has plans to expand to more European countries in the future.
However, the AI features available in Europe will not include the multimodal capabilities that are accessible in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. These features allow users to get information about objects captured by the glasses’ camera. Meta has stated that they are working towards introducing multimodality to more countries in the coming years.
Meta has faced challenges regarding compliance with the EU’s AI Act and GDPR. The company has raised concerns about the unpredictability of the AI Act’s implementation and the GDPR’s regulations related to AI training. Meta trains its AI models on public data from Instagram and Facebook users who have not opted out, which is protected by GDPR in Europe.
Earlier this year, EU regulators requested Meta to stop training on European user data while they evaluated the company’s GDPR compliance. Meta agreed to the request and supported a call for a modern interpretation of GDPR that supports technological advancements. In response to regulatory feedback, Meta resumed training on U.K. user data and introduced select AI capabilities to Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the U.K. and six other countries.
Despite these developments, Meta has not provided an update on its AI model training practices in the rest of the EU. The company continues to navigate the complexities of EU regulations while striving to bring innovative AI features to users across Europe.
