Latest news with #CodeofPractice
Euractiv
a day ago
- Business
- Euractiv
The EU will not budge on deadline for generative AI rules
The Commission is under growing pressure to delay implementation of its landmark artificial intelligence law, the AI Act – but for generative AI models, also known as general-purpose AIs (GPAI), the legal deadline of 2 August is not expected to budge. The last weeks have seen several calls from EU countries and industry for the EU to "stop the clock" on the implementation of the AI Act – with the key complaint being that important guidelines, standards and compliance tools are not yet ready. Some of these appeals specifically target rules for GPAI models – meaning generative AI systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, or Mistral's LeChat – which are due to come into force soon on 2 August 2025. A group of some 1,000 lobbyists, academics, experts, and civil society representatives took part in drafting a Code of Practice for GPAIs, which is supposed to support compliance with the law. But the drafting process has taken longer than anticipated, with the group missing the original 2 May deadline. With less than a month to go before the GPAI rules kick in under the AI Act, the Code still needs to be adopted by the Commission – although Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen has confirmed it will be published before the 2 August deadline. In parallel, the AI Board a body comprising national representatives – has been discussing the possibility of a "grace period" for signatories to begin applying the Code, in light of the delays in finalising the document. Such a grace period would mean GPAI developers would not be expected to follow the code's specific provisions immediately. However, they would still be legally required to comply with the AI Act as of 2 August 2025. The AI Board is considering extending the deadline for applying the Code until the end of 2025, a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv . Any grace period would apply only to the voluntary Code of Practice and would not suspend the AI Act's GPAI rules themselves. "There is no stop the clock, there is no grace period, there is no pause," a Commission spokesperson said in a Friday press briefing. But it's worth noting that there is a year's compliance grace period baked into the Commission's draft guidelines on GPAI rules – which is why the AI Office, which oversees the AI Act, will not actually start enforcing the GPAI rules until 2 August 2026. For GPAI models already on the market before 2 August 2025, the rules will also only apply from 2 August 2027. Some lobbyists may be aiming for a broader delay in the AI Act's implementation. A Commission spokesperson told Euractiv that the rules on GPAI models will apply from 2 August. However, in the context of the upcoming digital simplification omnibus expected by year-end, they added that 'all options remain open for consideration at this stage.' (nl, aw)
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Will the EU delay enforcing its AI Act?
With less than a month to go before parts of the European Union's AI Act come into force, companies are calling for a pause in the provisions and getting support from some politicians. Groups representing big U.S. tech companies such as Google owner Alphabet and Facebook owner Meta, and European companies such as Mistral and ASML have urged the European Commission to delay the AI Act by years. The rules for general purpose AI (GPAI) models take effect on Aug. 2, a Commission spokesperson reiterated, adding that the powers for enforcing those rules start only on August 2 2026. What is the August 2 deadline? Under the landmark act that was passed a year earlier after intense debate between EU countries, its provisions would come into effect in a staggered manner over several years. Some important provisions, including rules for foundation models like those made by Google, Mistral and OpenAI, will be subject to transparency requirements such as drawing up technical documentation, complying with EU copyright law and providing detailed summaries about the content used for algorithm training. The companies will also need to test for bias, toxicity, and robustness before launching. AI models classed as posing a systemic risk and high-impact GPAI will have to conduct model evaluations, assess and mitigate risks, conduct adversarial testing, report to the European Commission on serious incidents and provide information on their energy efficiency. Why do companies want a pause? For AI companies, the enforcement of the act means additional costs for compliance. And for ones that make AI models, the requirements are tougher. But companies are also unsure how to comply with the rules as there are no guidelines yet. The AI Code of Practice , a guidance document to help AI developers to comply with the act, missed its publication date of May 2. "To address the uncertainty this situation is creating, we urge the Commission to propose a two-year 'clock-stop' on the AI Act before key obligations enter into force," said an open letter published on Thursday by a group of 45 European companies. It also called for simplification of the new rules. A Commission spokesperson said the European AI Board is discussing the timing to implement the Code of Practice, with the end of 2025 being considered. Another concern is that the act may stifle innovation, particularly in Europe where companies have smaller compliance teams than their U.S. counterparts. Will it be postponed? While the Commission is set for GPAI rules to come in force from next month, its plan to publish key guidance to help thousands of companies to comply with the AI rules by year end would mark a six-month delay from its May deadline. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen had earlier promised to publish the AI Code of Practice before next month. Some political leaders, such as Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, have also called the AI rules "confusing" and asked the EU to pause the act. "A bold 'stop-the-clock' intervention is urgently needed to give AI developers and deployers legal certainty, as long as necessary standards remain unavailable or delayed," tech lobbying group CCIA Europe said.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Will the EU delay enforcing its AI Act?
With less than a month to go before parts of the European Union's AI Act come into force, companies are calling for a pause in the provisions and getting support from some politicians. Groups representing big U.S. tech companies such as Google owner Alphabet and Facebook owner Meta, and European companies such as Mistral and ASML have urged the European Commission to delay the AI Act by years. The rules for general purpose AI (GPAI) models take effect on August 2, a Commission spokesperson reiterated, adding that the powers for enforcing those rules start only on August 2, 2026. Under the landmark act that was passed a year earlier after intense debate between EU countries, its provisions would come into effect in a staggered manner over several years. Some important provisions, including rules for foundation models like those made by Google, Mistral and OpenAI, will be subject to transparency requirements such as drawing up technical documentation, complying with EU copyright law and providing detailed summaries about the content used for algorithm training. The companies will also need to test for bias, toxicity, and robustness before launching. AI models classed as posing a systemic risk and high-impact GPAI will have to conduct model evaluations, assess and mitigate risks, conduct adversarial testing, report to the European Commission on serious incidents and provide information on their energy efficiency. For AI companies, the enforcement of the act means additional costs for compliance. And for ones that make AI models, the requirements are tougher. But companies are also unsure how to comply with the rules as there are no guidelines yet. The AI Code of Practice, a guidance document to help AI developers to comply with the act, missed its publication date of May 2. "To address the uncertainty this situation is creating, we urge the Commission to propose a two-year 'clock-stop' on the AI Act before key obligations enter into force," said an open letter published on Thursday by a group of 45 European companies. It also called for simplification of the new rules. A Commission spokesperson said the European AI Board is discussing the timing to implement the Code of Practice, with the end of 2025 being considered. Another concern is that the act may stifle innovation, particularly in Europe where companies have smaller compliance teams than their U.S. counterparts. While the Commission is set for GPAI rules to come in force from next month, its plan to publish key guidance to help thousands of companies to comply with the AI rules by year end would mark a six-month delay from its May deadline. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen had earlier promised to publish the AI Code of Practice before next month. Some political leaders, such as Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, have also called the AI rules "confusing" and asked the EU to pause the act. "A bold 'stop-the-clock' intervention is urgently needed to give AI developers and deployers legal certainty, as long as necessary standards remain unavailable or delayed," tech lobbying group CCIA Europe said.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Will the EU delay enforcing its AI Act?
With less than a month to go before parts of the European Union's AI Act come into force, companies are calling for a pause in the provisions and getting support from some politicians. Groups representing big U.S. tech companies such as Google owner Alphabet and Facebook owner Meta, and European companies such as Mistral and ASML have urged the European Commission to delay the AI Act by years. The rules for general purpose AI (GPAI) models take effect on Aug. 2, a Commission spokesperson reiterated, adding that the powers for enforcing those rules start only on August 2 2026. Under the landmark act that was passed a year earlier after intense debate between EU countries, its provisions would come into effect in a staggered manner over several years. Some important provisions, including rules for foundation models like those made by Google, Mistral and OpenAI, will be subject to transparency requirements such as drawing up technical documentation, complying with EU copyright law and providing detailed summaries about the content used for algorithm training. The companies will also need to test for bias, toxicity, and robustness before launching. AI models classed as posing a systemic risk and high-impact GPAI will have to conduct model evaluations, assess and mitigate risks, conduct adversarial testing, report to the European Commission on serious incidents and provide information on their energy efficiency. For AI companies, the enforcement of the act means additional costs for compliance. And for ones that make AI models, the requirements are tougher. But companies are also unsure how to comply with the rules as there are no guidelines yet. The AI Code of Practice, a guidance document to help AI developers to comply with the act, missed its publication date of May 2. 'To address the uncertainty this situation is creating, we urge the Commission to propose a two-year 'clock-stop' on the AI Act before key obligations enter into force,' said an open letter published on Thursday by a group of 45 European companies. It also called for simplification of the new rules. A Commission spokesperson said the European AI Board is discussing the timing to implement the Code of Practice, with the end of 2025 being considered. Another concern is that the act may stifle innovation, particularly in Europe where companies have smaller compliance teams than their U.S. counterparts. While the Commission is set for GPAI rules to come in force from next month, its plan to publish key guidance to help thousands of companies to comply with the AI rules by year end would mark a six-month delay from its May deadline. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen had earlier promised to publish the AI Code of Practice before next month. Some political leaders, such as Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, have also called the AI rules 'confusing' and asked the EU to pause the act. 'A bold 'stop-the-clock' intervention is urgently needed to give AI developers and deployers legal certainty, as long as necessary standards remain unavailable or delayed,' tech lobbying group CCIA Europe said.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Code of practice to help companies with AI rules may come end 2025, EU says
A code of practice designed to help thousands of companies comply with the European Union's landmark artificial intelligence rules may only be issued at the end of 2025, the European Commission said on Thursday, potentially marking a delay of more than six months. Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, European companies such as Mistral and ASML as well as several EU governments have called for a delay in implementing the Artificial Intelligence Act, partly due to the lack of a code of practice. Publication of the Code of Practice for large language models (GPAI) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and similar models launched by Google and Mistral had originally been planned for May 2. "On the AI Act's GPAI rules, the European AI Board is discussing the timing to implement the Code of Practice, with the end of 2025 being considered," a Commission spokesperson said. Signing up to the code is voluntary but companies who decline to do so, as some Big Tech firms have indicated, will not benefit from the legal certainty provided to a signatory. The Commission pushed back against calls for a delay in rolling out the AI rules. "Our commitment to the goals of the AI Act, such as establishing harmonised risk-based rules across the EU and ensuring the safety of AI systems in the European market, remains unchanged," the spokesperson said.
