Experts say the reasons lie in EU regulations, but this could also be a tactic to slow down regulations.
While technology giants announce their latest models artificial intelligence (AI)Consumers in Europe will have to wait to use them if they arrive. The main reason for this is legal uncertainty. There are stricter regulations in EuropeThey say technology companies. But experts argue it could also be a way Putting pressure on policymakers of the European Union.
Advanced sound mode ChatGPT It launched in the UK last week, but has not launched in the EU. This may be due to concerns about the issue. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Europe, which requires some products to be reviewed by the EU Data Commissioner before being placed on the market.
However, advanced sound mode single feature OpenAI What has not reached Europe yetSo it may only be a matter of time before this happens. An OpenAI spokesperson told Euronews Next: “Europe is a key region for us and we are committed to working with European institutions to deliver our products here.”
“Pressure on political leaders”
However, the two tech giants decided not to launch it in Europe at all. Apple announced iPhone 16 with artificial intelligence at last month’s developer conference, but artificial intelligence technology will not reach Europe. Apple said this was particularly due to the difficulties the company would face under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Apple would have to open up its iOS system and API products external developers and gives users the ability to choose other AI products that could potentially be integrated into new iPhones, which Apple says would pose security risks.
A few weeks later, Meta also organized and announced the developer conference Updates for your ‘Llama AI’ product. But this will not reach Europe either. Instagram and Facebook’s parent company says this is due to rules concerns GDPR of Europe. Neither company signed the call. EU Artificial Intelligence PactIt is a non-binding agreement that demonstrates adherence to the EU Artificial Intelligence Law. But so have French AI champion MistralAI and American company Anthropic.
‘Euronews Next’ contacted Apple, who did not respond at the time of publication, and Meta, who said a spokesperson was unavailable. “I think it’s about a broader problem “EU regulations are forcing American companies to consider whether to launch products in Europe,” said Bill Echikson, senior fellow at the Digital Innovation Initiative and editor of the digital technology policy journal Bandwidth. European Center for Policy Analysis.
“The real reason is legal uncertaintyFear that they may violate regulations. “It could also be a way to pressure EU policymakers to slow down regulations,” he said.
Giorgos Verdi, a policy researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, agrees that artificial intelligence technology should not be implemented Companies may have a strategy to put pressure on the EU “To create change in policies and regulations.”
“These companies have been demanding for a long time their elimination Some of these obligations will be completely or simplified. So this is a great tactic,” he said.
What is the effect?
Verdi, on the other hand, noted that some companies they are losing money Because they didn’t launch their products in Europe so they could change their tactics. The most recent example of this was Google’s ‘Bard’ AI chatbot, which was not initially released in Europe due to GDPR compliance, but was released in 2023 due to a dispute. regulatory dialogue With the Irish Data Commission and European regulators.
“We need to see to what extent they choose to withdraw their products from Europe, and I would say that this may not actually take very long, because Europe and its single market remain.” a very lucrative market this is for tech companies,” Verdi said.
As for European consumers, The impact of not having AI models is minimalVerdi said most citizens do not want to see their data manipulated incorrectly or do not want an innovation without guarantees.
Some in the European tech industry also told Euronews Next what the EU Artificial Intelligence Law could create. additional regulatory hurdles this will benefit American and Chinese competition and reduce opportunities for European AI champions to emerge.
Competitiveness could be another hurdle for Europe This stands in the way of smaller European companies: “At the end of the day, competitiveness is not just about innovating with new products, but also about being able to integrate these products in a way that increases the competitiveness and efficiency of European companies,” Verdi said.
ADVERTThe ultimate effect of AI models not implemented in Europe is that they can increase fragmentation between countries. American and European markets. “Until now Its impact was limited but European regulators must also ensure that this does not continue to benefit both European and American citizens,” Verdi said.
“These two markets should continue to cooperate rather than pressuring for trade between them to continue.” greater technological fragmentation“As we’ve seen lately.”
