Meta AI Launches in EU with Limited Features Due to Privacy Rules

Meta has officially launched its AI-powered assistant, Meta AI, across the European Union, but with notable feature limitations. The rollout, announced Thursday, comes as Meta continues to navigate regulatory challenges tied to Europe’s strict privacy rules, particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Key Details

• Availability: Meta AI will launch in all 27 EU countries, plus 14 additional European nations and territories such as Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Switzerland. It will also expand to WhatsApp in the U.K., where it previously appeared only on Facebook, Instagram, and Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

• Functionality: In Europe, Meta AI will offer a more restricted feature set. Unlike its U.S. counterpart, it won’t support image generation or stylistic selfie creation. Instead, the assistant will function as an intelligent chatbot, available in six languages—English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian. Users can activate it in Meta apps by tapping a blue circle or typing “@MetaAI” in chats and ask questions similar to those they’d enter in a search engine—whether it’s how to complete a task or find information on a specific topic.

• App Integration: Meta AI is available across WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook, with the rollout to group chats starting on WhatsApp and expanding to other platforms soon.

Privacy & Regulatory Roadblocks

Meta’s limited EU launch reflects ongoing friction with European regulators over how the company uses personal data to train AI models. In the U.S., Meta has been using user-generated content to improve its AI systems, but this approach faces stricter scrutiny under GDPR rules in the EU.

Last year, Meta attempted to update its privacy policy to include using regional users' content—comments, posts, photos—for AI training. However, after objections from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), Meta paused those plans. The primary issue was Meta’s reliance on a “legitimate interests” legal basis combined with an opt-out process instead of requiring explicit user consent.

Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that the version launching in Europe has not been trained on EU users' data. Therefore, the company says it does not need to notify users or request consent for AI training at this time. “The model powering these Meta AI features wasn’t trained on first-party data from users in the EU,” said Anna Dack, Meta’s innovation communications manager, EMEA.

The U.K. rollout faced similar challenges. Although the U.K.’s data protections are based on GDPR, Meta adjusted its opt-out process slightly to proceed, and its AI assistant launched there without formal regulatory objection.

Meta claims that Meta AI offers “an advanced understanding of what you’re looking for,” but clarifies this does not involve personalized suggestions based on user data. Instead, the statement refers to making content searches easier and more intuitive.

Future Expansion & Regulatory Outlook

Meta stated this is its “first step” in bringing AI to Europe and intends to eventually reach feature parity with its U.S. offering. However, given its ongoing disagreements with European privacy regulators, particularly regarding consent and data usage, further regulatory reviews and potential disputes are expected.

The DPC has confirmed it will continue monitoring Meta AI’s rollout in collaboration with other EU supervisory authorities.

What This Means

Meta’s cautious, scaled-back launch of Meta AI in the EU highlights the growing friction between big tech’s AI ambitions and Europe’s strict privacy regulations. While companies like OpenAI and Google have also expanded their AI tools globally, Meta’s struggles emphasize how GDPR compliance and data protection laws can significantly shape product rollouts. By not using local user data to train its models, Meta avoids immediate regulatory conflict—but it also limits the personalization and advanced features seen in other markets.

For developers, this means fewer immediate opportunities to build hyper-personalized AI experiences within Meta’s platforms in Europe. Instead, they may need to design with broader, non-user-specific capabilities in mind until data usage policies evolve.

For users, this results in a more generic, less tailored experience—for now. For the broader industry, it underscores a key challenge: balancing innovative AI development with evolving privacy expectations. As regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act move forward, Meta’s approach may set a precedent for how AI products adapt to stringent privacy environments.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.