US tech giant Google has agreed to sign the EU’s voluntary commitments for the largest artificial intelligence models.
Regulators consider complying with the code to be equivalent to complying with the EU’s AI Act.
By signing up to the AI Code of Practice, Google is making various commitments on the climate impact of the technology, mitigating the risk of AI becoming fully autonomous, and protecting people’s fundamental rights.
Google’s decision to sign the AI Code of Practice comes days after US tech giant Meta announced it will not sign the document, citing “legal uncertainties.”
Google is the largest company to sign so far. Other signatories include France’s Mistral AI and Germany’s Aleph Alpha.
Google’s President Kent Walker said Google was signing “with the hope that this Code, as applied, will promote European citizens’ and businesses’ access to secure, first-rate AI tools as they become available.”
The drafting of the Code of Practice and the enforcement of the AI Act have come under heavy criticism in recent months, with numerous companies pushing the Commission for delays and revisions.
CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to clarify Google’s hopes about the Code of Practice.
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