Top technology executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, have raised concerns about the regulatory landscape in Europe related to open-source artificial intelligence (AI). In a joint statement on Friday, the CEOs warned that the continent’s complicated and fragmented regulations could hamper its ability to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI sector.

According to Reuters, the executives stressed that Europe, which has more open-source developers than the U.S., is well positioned to benefit from advances in open-source AI, but they argued that the continent’s complex regulatory environment hampers innovation and creates barriers for developers.

The statement criticised Europe’s “overlapping regulations and inconsistent guidelines” that prevent the tech industry from benefiting from clear and consistent rules. The CEOs stressed that simplifying these regulations could significantly boost the development of open-source AI and provide crucial support to European developers and the entire creative industry.

According to Reuters, the ongoing challenges were illustrated by a recent move by Ireland’s data protection authority, which in June asked Meta to delay the launch of its AI models in Europe. This request came after Meta was instructed to wait to use data from Facebook and Instagram users. As a result, the company’s upcoming AI models, including its advanced multimodal image interpretation system Llama, may not be available in Europe. The CEOs warned that this may force European users to rely on AI technologies developed primarily for other markets.

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Spotify’s success story was also cited in the statement as an example of the potential benefits of early AI adoption. The music streaming giant attributed its investment in AI to its ability to provide personalized user experiences, which has been a key factor in its growth. The tech leaders suggested that, instead of strengthening European sovereignty and competitiveness, current laws were having the opposite effect. They argued for simplification and harmonisation of regulations to leverage the strengths of a unified but diverse market.

Finally, the CEOs issued a stark warning: Europe must adopt a new regulatory approach with clearer guidelines and more consistent enforcement, otherwise it risks missing a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” in the global AI race.

Source: Reuters