Three influential members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are questioning how the European Commission is appointing key positions in drafting guidelines for general-purpose AI (GPAI), on the same day that the EU executive is inviting organisations to participate in the process.
The Code of Practice for GPAI is a key tool for implementing the EU’s landmark AI Act in the medium term. The participation of civil society and academia in the drafting has been contentious, with some organisations worried they will be effectively excluded, allowing industry to write its own rules.
The Commission has said that civil society and academia will be included in the drafting. Providers of GPAI, however, will participate in “workshops” with the influential chairs and vice-chairs of the working groups, among whom the work will be divided.
GPAI includes models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which have a wide array of applications. The Code of Practice is expected to be ready by April 2025, said the Commission.
On Tuesday (24 September), the Commission responded to those who had expressed interest in participating in the drafting process, multiple sources told Euractiv.
However, other than participating in the first plenary of the Code of Practice drafting group on 30 September, little further details were given. More information about how the drafting will proceed and how the work will be divided among groups is expected on Monday.
Most of those who expressed interest in participating were accepted, including organisations that have not recently worked on the topic, said one person familiar with the process.
A spokesperson for Google confirmed to Euractiv that they will be participating in the plenary. Industry association ITI also has been included, its senior policy manager for Europe Marco Leto Barone told Euractiv, adding that they hope the process will be “open and collaborative with clear and timely communication on timelines and expected milestones.”
On the same day, three MEPs, Axel Voss (Germany, EPP), Svenja Hahn ( Germany, Renew) and Kim van Sparrentak (Netherlands, Greens), questioned how the Commission is appointing the chairs and vice-chairs of the working groups, according to a set of questions for written answer seen by Euractiv.
They are asking how the Commission is appointing these key positions “particularly with respect to international expertise,” and whether they will be appointed and announced by the time of the Monday plenary, as well as how the Commission will make sure they can deliver in a short time frame.
The Commission is hiring a consulting firm to run the drafting process, Euractiv reported in early July.
The three MEPs sent questions to the Commission in April about the process of staffing the Commission’s AI Office. They received a reply three months later.
[Edited by Rajnish Singh]
