Google and meta criticize excessive AI regulation in Europe
Google and Meta executives sharply criticized the European approach to artificial intelligence regulation at the Techarena technology conference in Stockholm, stating that excessive restrictions are hindering AI industry development in the region.
“There is now a broad consensus that European technology regulation has its problems: sometimes it’s too fragmented, like GDPR, sometimes it goes too far, like the AI Act,” said Chris Yiu, Meta’s Director of Public Policy, speaking to an audience of technology entrepreneurs and investors.
According to Yiu, the end result of this approach is delayed product releases or significant simplification, which hurts European consumers. As an example, he demonstrated the Ray-Ban Meta glasses with AI features that can translate speech from one language to another and describe images for people with visual impairments. The company only began implementing AI features for these glasses in some European countries in November due to the need to comply with Europe’s “complex regulatory system.”
“This is a profound and very human application of technology that is slowly coming to Europe due to regulatory issues,” Yiu emphasized.
The tech giants’ statements reinforce Donald Trump’s administration’s rhetoric that strict EU tech rules stifle innovation. Experts note growing tension between European regulators’ desire to ensure safe AI technology development and technology companies’ wish to bring innovative products to market faster.
Criticism from leading technology companies may signal the need to reconsider the balance between consumer rights protection and innovation support in European legislation, especially in the context of global competition in artificial intelligence.
