Tech giants push to dilute Europe’s AI Act

The world’s biggest technology companies have embarked on a final push to persuade the European Union to take a light-touch approach to regulating artificial intelligence as they seek to fend off the risk of billions of dollars in fines.

EU lawmakers in May agreed the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology, following months of intense negotiations between different political groups.

But until the law’s accompanying codes of practice have been finalised, it remains unclear how strictly rules around “general purpose” AI (GPAI) systems, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT will be enforced and how many copyright lawsuits and multi-billion dollar fines companies may face.

The EU has invited companies, academics, and others to help draft the code of practice, receiving nearly 1,000 applications, an unusually high number according to a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

The AI code of practice will not be legally binding when it takes effect late next year, but it will provide firms with a checklist they can use to demonstrate their compliance. A company claiming to follow the law while ignoring the code could face a legal challenge.

“The code of practice is crucial. If we get it right, we will be able to continue innovating,” said Boniface de Champris, a senior policy manager at trade organisation CCIA Europe, whose members include Amazon, Google, and Meta.

“If it’s too narrow or too specific, that will become very difficult,” he added.