Facebook and Instagram users are fuming over controversial Meta AI move

Meta has started notifying Instagram and Facebook users across the UK that it is training its AI with their posts – and people are not happy about it.

In emails and notifications being sent to UK users, Meta says it’s using posts, comments, photos and even captions to help develop its human-like ‘generative AI’, akin to ChatGPT.

By being trained with UK user data, Meta told MailOnline that the AI will ‘reflect and understand British language, geography and culture’.

In emails and notifications being sent to UK users, Meta says it’s using posts, comments, photos and even captions to help develop its human-like ‘generative AI’, akin to ChatGPT.

By being trained with UK user data, Meta told MailOnline that the AI will ‘reflect and understand British language, geography and culture’.

Social media users are fuming over the controversial move, with one person saying the tech giant can ‘f*** right off’.

If you don’t want your personal data being handed over to Meta’s AI training programme, here’s how you can object.

Meta said the project – which was detailed in a blog post last month – applies just to adults (people 18 and over) using Facebook and Instagram in the UK.

This week, Instagram and Facebook users have been noticing a notification saying: ‘We’re planning new AI features for you. Learn how we use your information.’

Once you tap on the notification, you’re directed to a 160-word statement confirming the move and explaining it in more detail.

‘We’re getting ready to expand our AI at Meta experiences,’ it reads.

‘AI at Meta is our collection of generative AI features and experiences, such as Meta AI and AI creative tools, along with the models that power them.

‘To help bring these experiences to you, we want you to know that we’ll use public information like public posts and comments from accounts of people 18 years or older on the basis of legitimate interests.

‘We’ll do this to develop and improve AI at Meta.’

Users are also being emailed the statement, which is titled ‘Learn how we use your information as we expand AI at Meta’.

Speaking to MailOnline, a spokesperson said Meta is using both Instagram and Facebook posts and comments, as well as photos and their captions, to train the AI – but not the content of private messages.

What’s more, it will only use publicly-available information, so if you have a private Instagram account it will not be used.

Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg – now president of global affairs for Meta – said the content is from adults on Facebook and Instagram in the UK and Brazil.

But this is not the whole truth; Meta – owned by Mark Zuckerberg – is riling privacy authorities all around the world by quietly scraping user data in other countries too (UK and Brazil are just the nations where people are able to object, in line with privacy laws).

According to the New York Times, Meta is taking what it needs from US user posts, but due to less strict privacy laws the tech giant is not required to notify people.

Meanwhile, Meta’s global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh admitted it’s happening to Australian users too, with no opt-out option, ABC reports.

In response, Meta admitted to MailOnline it is training its AI models ‘globally and in countries where the product is rolling/has rolled out’.

The product, which is similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, is a chatbot that Meta describes as your ‘go-to creative assistant’ that has ‘conversational capabilities and image analysis features’.

It’s been released in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries, but not in the UK or Europe due to regulatory hurdles.

Fortunately for Brits, you have the right to opt-out, although the process might take you a while.

On Instagram, you can do so by navigating to the Privacy Centre, while on Facebook you have to navigate to the privacy policy.

If you’ve received the notification or email, you can also click/tap a URL link in the word ‘object’.

You’ll then have to fill out a form telling Meta why you object to your posts being used this way and enter your email address.

Meta told MailOnline that it will honour all objection forms and send an email to confirm.

However, even if you opt out, your information may still be used to train Meta’s AI models, via data scraped from other users who have shared your info, consumer champion Which? points out.

For example, this could be an image of you shared by someone else, or you being mentioned in someone else’s posts.

Other users took to X to complain about Meta’s initiative as well as the objection process.

One posted: ‘lol… ur free to opt of of Meta AI, but they’ll decide whether to honour it.’

Another user said: ‘I do not trust Meta one bit and I’m even more sceptical that AI will be beneficial to any of us’, adding that Meta can ‘f*** right off’.

Someone else said: ‘Meta wants you to beg them not to train their AI on your stuff – at their discretion.

‘Waiting for literally any DPA [Data Protection Act] to do something about this nonsense.’

Meta has reiterated that an opt-out request should be approved as long as the email address given is valid.

Meta announced last month that it would begin using data from public posts of users in the UK to train its AI – triggering outcry from users and celebs alike.

People started protesting by reposting a viral image on Instagram Stories that said ‘I do not give Meta or anyone else permission’.

However, unlike many believed, the protest message was in no way legally binding and users will have to go through Meta’s opt-out process.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said that it has not given regulatory approval for Meta’s plan but it will monitor the process.

In response to user backlash, Meta said other tech companies such as OpenAI and Google are also using customer content as AI training data.