Meta Ireland chief calls for reduction in 'regulation and bureaucracy' around AI in Europe

Company refuses to launch AI features in EU due to privacy and data rules

Anne O’Leary, head of Meta Ireland: 'We understand we need regulation, but we need one type.'

The head of Meta Ireland Anne O’Leary has called for the reduction in AI regulation and bureaucracy in the EU and Ireland to ensure the bloc is not left behind when it comes to the release of new products.

The Facebook and Instagram-owner has been on an AI splurge in recent years and has committed to spending more than $60bn (€57.2bn) on AI development this year alone.

However, the EU has implemented strict regulations around the use of AI, as well as data privacy within the bloc, which tech giants such as Meta, Google, and Apple have all cited as reasons as to why they will not launch certain features in Europe.

Meta has been repeatedly fined by the EU over the last few years over various EU privacy rules violations, as well as data breaches — the largest of which was a €1.2bn fine in summer 2023.

Speaking at the American Chamber Global Business Conference in Croke Park, Ms O’Leary said the EU needed to “embrace” an open-sourced AI environment to help businesses and startups.

"Let's reduce the regulation and the bureaucracy so we're not left behind in any new products that are launched in the US, that we get them at the same time,” she said.

'Huge opportunity' for Ireland

Ms O’Leary said there was a “huge opportunity” for Ireland when it comes to AI, as the country has a “stable” and “coherent” Government, “not like elsewhere”, which is willing and open to engaging with tech companies around the issue of AI.

On the regulatory environment within the EU, she said tech giants such as Meta have to adhere to “100 different tech and digital regulations in the EU” and “270 regulators that are not joined up”.

“We understand we need regulation, but we need one type,” she said.

"We know we need safeguards and guardrails. We're fine with that. It needs to be coherent, though, and not inhibit progress to ensure we do not get left behind the US and the Chinese.” 

Ms O’Leary said Meta deploys AI right across its business and she works with small- and medium-sized companies right across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to utilise its AI tools to reach new audiences and grow their business.

Speaking on what the positive potential impacts of the technology, Ms O’Leary said from an “Irish perspective and an EU perspective”, it was an “opportunity to move fast” and “to understand that AI can turbo-charge our economy like nothing before”.

Her comments around AI regulation in the EU comes as chief executive of Meta Mark Zuckerberg positions himself closer to the Donald Trump administration in the US.

Over the last few months, Mr Zuckerberg has repeatedly criticised the fines levied by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner and the EU on his company for various breaches.

Earlier this month Meta’s global policy director Joel Kaplan said the company “won’t shy away” from taking up its case with Mr Trump if the EU uses its digital rules to target Meta’s products.

In remarks to the World Economic Forum in January, Mr Trump likened the fines on tech companies to a “form of taxation”.

Meta is also the subject of an EU investigation under the bloc’s content moderation law, the Digital Services Act, for potentially failing to protect minors on Facebook and Instagram. Under the act, companies such as Meta can be fined up to 6% of global sales.