Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Danny Ek said in a joint statement that the European Union's “fragmented regulatory structure” is stifling innovation in artificial intelligence (AI). statement The report, released on Friday, added that the EU's AI regulatory framework is “riddled with inconsistent implementation, preventing companies in the region from capitalizing on the AI ​​wave.”
They pointed out:
“Instead of clear rules informing and guiding how companies do business across the continent, our industry faces overlapping regulations and inconsistent guidance on how to comply with them.”
The two founders warned that without “urgent changes”, the EU will be left behind in the AI ​​race.
Open source AI case study
According to the two founders, open source AI, where models and tools are made publicly available under permissive licenses, offers great opportunities for European organisations. It democratise access to advanced technology, prevent the concentration of power in the hands of a few key players and foster a more competitive and innovative environment.
They noted that the internet and much of the big tech companies already rely on open source technology, and suggested that the future of AI development would similarly benefit from open collaboration and transparency.
They stated:
“We believe the next generation of ideas and startups will be built with open source AI because it allows developers to adopt the latest innovations at a lower cost and gives institutions greater control over their data.”
Meta in particular is embracing this model by open-sourcing several of its AI technologies, including its Llama large-scale language models, which are already being used by public agencies and researchers to advance medical research and protect endangered languages.
Similarly, Ek attributes Spotify's success to its early use of AI.
The CEOs emphasized that Europe has a large number of open source developers and is well positioned to leverage this approach to AI development.
Regulatory challenges
Regulation is necessary, the CEOs say, but preemptive regulation of emerging technologies like AI would do more harm than good.
“Europe's risk-averse and complex regulations could prevent companies from benefiting from big bets that could lead to big returns.”
The founders further detailed the regulatory challenges facing European companies, pointing to the uneven application of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law. They said that while the regulation was intended to “harmonize the use and flow of data” across the region, regulators are currently unable to make a decision on how to apply the law.
For example, Meta has been instructed to postpone training models on publicly shared content from Facebook and Instagram until regulators understand how to apply GDPR. In the short term, these delays are creating uncertainty.
For Meta, the delay means its AI models won't reflect “Europe's collective knowledge, culture and language.” The delay means Europeans won't be able to use its latest AI products. For example, Meta can't release its Llama model in the EU.
The statement reads:
“The harsh reality is that a law designed to strengthen European sovereignty and competitiveness is actually having the opposite effect.”
Calls for change
The CEOs argue that the EU's inconsistent AI regulatory framework is already causing a talent drain, with most AI developers working outside the bloc — a trend that will only accelerate, and unless Europe proactively changes its approach, the region stands to miss out on a “once in a generation” opportunity.
“Europe needs a new approach, with clearer policies and more consistent enforcement,” they said. A simplified regulatory regime would not only accelerate the growth of open source AI, but also provide support to European developers, they said.
The statement reads:
“While Spotify and Meta are using AI in different ways, we agree that thoughtful, clear and consistent regulation can foster competition and innovation, while protecting and empowering people and providing access to new technologies.”
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