Meta argues its AI needs personal information from social media posts to learn ‘Australian concepts’

Meta has argued against Australian privacy law changes that would prevent it from training its AI using personal information from social media posts on Facebook and Instagram. Photograph: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Meta has urged the Australian government not to make privacy law changes that would prevent the company using personal information taken from Facebook and Instagram posts to train its AI, arguing the AI needs to learn “how individuals discuss Australian concepts”.

In a submission to the Productivity Commission’s review on harnessing data and digital technology, published this week, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp argued for a “global policy alignment” in the Albanese government’s pursuit of privacy reform in the AI age.