Image by Dima Solomin, from Unsplash
Meta AI Expands To Europe After Regulatory Delays
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Meta is launching its AI chatbot across Europe, nearly a year after regulatory concerns forced the company to delay its rollout.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Meta AI is launching across 41 European countries and 21 overseas territories.
- The rollout follows a year-long delay due to European regulatory concerns.
- The AI assistant will function only as a text-based chatbot in Europe.
The AI assistant, already available in the U.S., U.K., and India, will now be integrated into WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger for users across 41 European countries and 21 overseas territories.
“It’s taken longer than we would have liked to get our AI technology into the hands of people in Europe as we continue to navigate its complex regulatory system – but we’re glad we’re finally here,” Meta said in a blog post on Thursday.
Meta AI was initially set to launch in Europe last year, but the Irish Data Protection Commission halted the rollout over concerns about the company’s plan to use Facebook and Instagram users’ data to train its language models, as noted by Euronews .
Its delayed launch comes amid mounting regulatory scrutiny. Recently, the Irish Data Protection Commission fined Meta €251 million for a 2018 data breach that compromised sensitive data from 29 million users , including 3 million in the EU.
To comply with regulators, Meta is launching a text-based version of its chatbot that does not rely on first-party EU user data.
For now, the chatbot will function as a virtual assistant, helping users brainstorm ideas, plan trips, and answer general questions using web-sourced information. It will also help users find content relevant to their interests on Instagram.
However, features available elsewhere—such as image generation and editing—will not be included in the European version at this time.
Meta says the AI will initially support six languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. The company plans to expand its capabilities and work toward “parity with the U.S.” over time.
Despite regulatory hurdles, Meta executives have expressed concerns over Europe’s approach to AI oversight. Joel Kaplan, the company’s head of global policy, recently stated that strict regulations are hindering Europe’s role in AI development, as reported by Euronews. He stressed the importance of fostering competitiveness and economic growth through open innovation and closer collaboration between the U.S. and Europe.
Meta’s AI assistant has already seen widespread adoption, with over 700 million monthly active users globally. The European launch marks the company’s largest expansion of the technology to date, as it continues its push to integrate AI across its platforms.
Meanwhile, Meta is also facing backlash over its AI-generated character profiles on Instagram and Facebook. The resurfacing of profiles from a 2023 experiment, including “Liv” and “Carter,” reignited concerns about AI’s role in social media.
Some users reported being unable to block the accounts, while critics questioned their design and potential misuse. Following public outcry, Meta confirmed it had deleted the AI profiles.
Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash
OpenAI Faces Privacy Complaint After ChatGPT Falsely Accuses User Of Murder
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The European non-profit organization noyb is supporting a Norwegian ChatGPT user in filing a formal complaint against the American company after the chatbot falsely accused him of murdering his two children.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- A Norwegian man is filing a complaint against OpenAI after ChatGPT falsely accused him of murdering his children.
- ChatGPT’s response included real details about the man’s life, making the false accusation even more alarming.
- noyb warns that chatbot hallucinations pose serious risks to individuals’ reputations and privacy.
The European non-profit organization noyb is supporting a Norwegian ChatGPT user in filing a formal complaint against the American company after the chatbot falsely accused him of murdering his two children.
According to the information and complaint shared by noyb, the Norwegian resident Arve Hjalmar Holmen asked ChatGPT who he was and was shocked to read a false and horrifying murder story, alleging that he had killed his two sons, attempted to murder a third child, and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://www.wizcase.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/EN-screenshot-of-ChatGPT-response-for-noyb-case-English-1024x440.webp" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Screenshot of a ChatGPT response to the question “Who is Arve Hjalmar Holmen?” The response falsly describes Holmen as a Norwegian individual involved in a tragic criminal case. - 4”>
“He has a family with three sons. He is what people call a ‘regular person’, meaning that he is not famous or recognisable by the public,” states Noybs’s complaint. “He has never been accused nor convicted of any crime and is a conscientious citizen.”
noyb explains that, besides the dangerously false information, another highly concerning aspect of the response is that ChatGPT considered real personal information to fabricate the story. The chatbot included his actual hometown, the number of children he has, their gender, and even similar age differences.
“Some think that ‘there is no smoke without fire’. The fact that someone could read this output and believe it is true, is what scares me the most,” said Arve Hjalmar Holmen.
🚨 Today, we filed our second complaint against OpenAI over ChatGPT hallucination issues 👉 When a Norwegian user asked ChatGPT if it had any information about him, the chatbot made up a story that he had murdered his children. Find out more: https://t.co/FBYptNVfVz pic.twitter.com/kpPtY1ps25 — noyb (@NOYBeu) March 20, 2025
noyb also filed a complaint against X last year for using the personal data of more than 60 million Europeans to train its AI chatbot Grok.
