EU proposes guidelines to help companies comply with AI Act
What's the story
The European Union (EU) has published a voluntary code of practice to help companies comply with its forthcoming AI Act. The new guidelines emphasize the need for transparency in artificial intelligence (AI) systems and respect for copyright laws. Developers will have to document their AI's functionality and avoid using pirated content in training data. If requested by creators, their copyrighted material must be excluded from AI training processes.
Industry reaction
Tech giants have expressed dissatisfaction
The EU's new code is designed to ease the transition to stricter regulations. However, major companies such as Meta and Alphabet have expressed their dissatisfaction with the requirements. They believe that the guidelines are too stringent and go beyond what is necessary for compliance. This month, European firms: ASML Holding NV, Airbus SE, and Mistral AI also requested a two-year suspension of the AI Act's implementation in an open letter calling for a more "innovation-friendly regulatory approach."
Gradual enforcement
AI Act's rules for general-purpose AI coming next month
The AI Act will be enforced in phases, with rules for "general purpose AI" such as OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude coming into effect next month. Violating this act could result in fines of up to 7% of a company's annual sales or 3% for companies making advanced AI models. The code is still pending final approval from the commission and EU member states.
Stance
EU yet to agree to delay implementation of the code
EU has not yet agreed to delay the implementation of the code. It was drafted under the supervision of officials from the commission, which organized working groups with representatives from AI labs, tech companies, academia, and digital rights organizations. The commission will only start directly overseeing the AI Act's application in August 2026. Until then, enforcement will be left to national courts that may have less specific technical expertise.