{"id":698,"date":"2025-04-08T17:32:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T17:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/?p=4301446"},"modified":"2025-04-08T17:32:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T17:32:55","slug":"eu-ai-rules-delay-tech-rollouts-but-civil-societies-says-safety-comes-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tecnoartesanos.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/eu-ai-rules-delay-tech-rollouts-but-civil-societies-says-safety-comes-first\/","title":{"rendered":"EU AI Rules Delay Tech Rollouts, But Civil Societies Says Safety Comes First"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tech companies are adamant that the regulation of artificial intelligence in the E.U. is preventing its citizens from accessing the latest and greatest products. However, a number of civil society groups feel otherwise, maintaining that AI developers need to produce products that uphold their customers\u2019 safety and privacy.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Some of tech giants\u2019 delayed launches in EU<\/span><\/h2>\n

There have been a number of instances where the launches of AI products in the E.U. have either been delayed or cancelled as a result of regulations. For instance, this week, Meta\u2019s Llama 4 series<\/a> of AI models was released everywhere except Europe. Its AI chatbots integrated into WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram only made it to the bloc 18 months after the U.S.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Google\u2019s AI Overviews<\/a> currently only appear in eight member states, having arrived nine months later than in the States, and both its Bard<\/a> and Gemini<\/a> models had delayed European releases. Apple Intelligence has only just become available in the E.U. with the release of iOS 18.4<\/a>, after \u201cregulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act<\/a>\u201d held up its release in the region<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf certain companies cannot guarantee that their AI products respect the law, then consumers are not missing out; these are products that are simply not safe to be released on the E.U. market yet,\u201d S\u00e9bastien Pant, deputy head of communications at the European consumer organisation BEUC, told Euronews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not for legislation to bend to new features rolled out by tech companies. It is instead for companies to make sure that new features, products or technologies comply with existing laws before they hit the EU market.\u201d<\/p>\n

SEE: EU\u2019s AI Act: Europe\u2019s New Rules for Artificial Intelligence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>EU regulations push companies to build more privacy-conscious tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

E.U. legislation hasn\u2019t always excluded E.U. citizens from AI products; instead, it has often compelled tech companies to adapt and deliver better, more privacy-conscious solutions for them. For example:<\/p>\n