Study reveals data protection delays LLM rollout in UK and EU

A new report by Governance.AI, analysing 375 large language models (LLMs) released between June 2018 and May 2026, reveals that European and UK regulatory frameworks are slowing the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). The study highlights that 11% of LLM releases from major technology companies, including Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, were delayed or withheld in the EU compared to the US, while 7% faced similar delays or restrictions in the UK.

Of the 68 recorded cases of delays or non-releases, regulatory factors were the primary cause in 56 instances. Specifically, the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) represents the main barrier, affecting non-text modalities like audio and real-time video more severely than text. Meta experienced the highest disruption, with 26% of its models delayed or withheld in the EU and 15% in the UK. Researchers attribute the greater barriers within the EU to more aggressive enforcement and to slower clarification of how data rules apply to training and deployment.

Training announcement: Freevacy provides comprehensive training for new and existing practitioners on the changes introduced by the DUA Act to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA18), and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PEC-Regulations). Our courses are always up to date and provide a forum for learning and discussing how to ensure your data protection processes remain compliant. Find out more.