Tech giant Google has agreed to sign the voluntary Code of Practice on Artificial Intelligence (AI), while Meta has declined to do so, citing legal uncertainty.
Google President Kent Walker expressed hope that the Code’s application will ensure European citizens and businesses have access to safe AI tools. By signing the Code, Google commits to considering the technology’s impact on the climate and preventing full AI autonomy:
By signing the Code, Google commits to considering the technology’s impact on the climate and preventing full AI autonomy:
☛ Risk Reduction: Companies must assess and minimize potential risks associated with AI use.
☛ Human Rights Protection: Commitments aim to ensure the observance of fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens during AI development and deployment.
☛ Transparency: Companies must provide information on how their AI systems operate and how they are trained.
☛ Sustainable Development: Commitments include measures to reduce the negative impact of technologies on the climate.
Meta Refuses to Sign
Unlike Google, Meta announced it would not sign the Code, citing “legal uncertainty.” The company’s Head of International Relations, Joel Kaplan, wrote in a LinkedIn post: “Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI. We have carefully reviewed the European Commission’s Code of Practice for General Purpose AI Models (GPAI), and Meta will not be signing it. This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, and also introduces measures that go far beyond the AI Act.” Meta’s decision highlights the disagreements among tech companies regarding AI regulation.
Criticism and Calls for Delay
The development of the Code and the application of the AI Act have faced strong criticism from over 45 major companies part of the EU AI Champions initiative, including Lufthansa and Siemens. They called on the European Commission to postpone the Act’s entry into force by two years, arguing that it undermines AI innovation. They insist that the quality of regulation should be a priority, not the speed of implementing prohibitions.
NEWSROOM IN notes:
☛ The EU AI Champions initiative, launched in early 2025, unites major European companies aiming to advance AI technologies in key economic sectors.
☛ In 2024, the AI Act was adopted in the EU and is set to enter into force in August. It includes regulation of practices aimed at preventing AI abuse and obliges developers to provide information on how AI models are trained. Businesses express dissatisfaction with the European Commission’s lack of key recommendations and standards, which creates additional difficulties for companies working with advanced AI.
