Welcome to the latest update from Dublin on the recent developments surrounding social media platform X. In a significant move, X has agreed not to train its AI systems using the personal data of European Union users without their prior consent. This decision was made known in an Irish court hearing held on Thursday.
The Data Protection Commission of Ireland, being the major EU regulator for top U.S. internet companies, sought an order this week to restrict X from processing user data for the development of its AI systems. The commission emphasized the need for users to have the option to withdraw their consent before such data is utilized.
X, owned by Elon Musk, has clarified that users have the choice to allow their public posts to be used by the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok. Users can opt out by adjusting their privacy settings. However, the court noted that X had started processing the data of EU users for AI training purposes before providing the opt-out option.
The platform assured that data collected from EU users during a specified period would not be utilized until the court makes a decision on the Data Protection Commission’s order. Lawyers representing X are set to contest the suspension order by early September.
In a statement on X Global Government Affairs account, the platform criticized the regulator’s order as unjustified and disproportionate, targeting X unfairly without valid reasoning.
The concerns raised by the regulator regarding data usage by X follow similar actions taken by other tech giants. Meta Platforms opted not to launch its AI models in Europe following the Irish DPC’s directive, while Google made adjustments to its Gemini AI chatbot after consulting with the Irish regulator earlier this year.