Meta and Spotify have teamed up again, this time on the issue of open source (or more precisely, open-source) AI being hindered by regulation, which both companies say is the problem. In a joint statement posted on the companies' respective websites on Friday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek complained that EU privacy regulations around AI are stifling innovation. Meta, for example, points out that it hasn't been able to train its AI models on publicly available data from Facebook or Instagram because regulators have yet to enact legislation dictating how this should be handled.
“In the short term, delaying the use of data that is routinely used in other regions means that the most powerful AI models will not reflect Europe's collective knowledge, culture, and language, and Europeans will not be able to use the latest AI products,” Meta's blog post warns. It also stresses that Europeans will not have access to the latest open source technologies, and will instead be left with AI “built for someone else.”
The post further confirmed earlier reports that Meta would withhold its next-generation multi-model AI models from customers in the European Union due to a lack of clarity from regulators. Meta noted that this means it cannot release its next-generation AI models, such as Llama multi-model, which has image understanding capabilities.
Spotify, meanwhile, attributes the streaming service's massive success to its development of a personalized experience for each user and its early investments in AI technology.
“As we look to the future of streaming, we see huge potential to leverage open source AI to benefit the industry, especially when it comes to how AI can help discover more artists. Simplifying the regulatory structure would not only accelerate the growth of open source AI, but also provide vital support to the European developers and broader creator ecosystem that contributes to and benefits from these innovations,” the post reads.
Reading between the lines, it’s a stretch to assume that Spotify wants to use Meta’s AI technology to improve its own products, but is similarly affected by the uncertainty surrounding AI regulation in the EU.
Of course, neither company is opposed to regulation when it works to their advantage.
For example, the two sides shared a common enemy: Apple, specifically its App Store monopoly, with EU regulators calling the iPhone maker a “gatekeeper” for big tech, forcing it to open up to alternative app stores, app distribution methods, payment systems, and more. Meta and Spotify didn't criticize the regulation itself, but rather Apple's response. In this case, Zuckerberg joined Ek in criticizing Apple's new business rules for EU developers under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which he suspected would be so onerous that no developer would opt in. Spotify also called Apple's compliance plan “blackmail” and a “total farce.”
Meta and Spotify have collaborated in recent years, previously teaming up on music projects including a Facebook mini player that streams Spotify directly from the app.