The European Union has published a new voluntary code of practice aimed at helping companies across the 27-member bloc comply with its forthcoming AI Act, a sweeping regulation set to govern the use of AI.
According to The AP, the move comes as the bloc prepares to begin enforcement of the AI Act’s rules on general purpose AI from 2 August 2024, although full enforcement will not begin for at least a year.
The newly released code focuses on three key areas: transparency obligations for providers integrating general purpose AI models into products, copyright protections, and the safety and security of advanced AI systems. It is designed to guide firms in navigating the AI Act’s layered compliance framework, which assesses AI use cases based on the level of risk they pose—ranging from minimal to unacceptable. Violations of the AI Act can lead to penalties of up to €35m or 7% of a company’s global revenue.
General purpose AI refers to systems capable of performing a wide range of tasks, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. These models underpin many AI applications currently deployed by firms across sectors in the EU. The code aims to offer a practical route to compliance for businesses that may struggle with the complexity of the full legislation.
However, the regulation has faced growing criticism from parts of the industry. Over 40 European companies—including Airbus, Mercedes-Benz, Philips, and AI start-up Mistral—recently signed an open letter urging the EU to delay the implementation of the AI Act by two years. The letter cited concerns about “unclear, overlapping and increasingly complex” regulatory requirements, warning they could threaten Europe’s position in the global AI race.
Despite these calls, the European Commission has shown no indication it plans to postpone the rollout. Instead, it continues to emphasise the importance of responsible AI development.
European Commission executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy Henna Virkkunen said, “Today’s publication of the final version of the Code of Practice for general-purpose AI marks an important step in making the most advanced AI models available in Europe not only innovative but also safe and transparent.”
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