Google Commits to EU’s AI Code of Practice Amid Industry Debate

Google has pledged to adopt the European Union’s voluntary AI code of practice, a framework designed to assist AI developers in aligning with the EU’s AI Act by implementing compliant processes and systems.
In contrast, Meta recently declined to sign the code, criticizing the EU’s AI regulations as excessive and warning that Europe’s approach could hinder AI progress.
Google’s decision comes just before new regulations for “general-purpose AI models with systemic risk” take effect on August 2. Major players like Anthropic, Google, Meta, and OpenAI, along with other large-scale generative models, will have two years to fully comply with the AI Act.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, acknowledged improvements in the final code of practice compared to earlier EU proposals but expressed concerns about the AI Act’s potential to impede innovation.
“We’re worried that the AI Act and its code could slow Europe’s AI development and deployment. Deviations from EU copyright law, delays in approvals, or mandates exposing trade secrets might undermine Europe’s competitiveness in AI,” Walker wrote.
By endorsing the EU’s code, AI firms commit to guidelines such as providing updated documentation for their AI tools, avoiding training on pirated content, and respecting content owners’ requests to exclude their works from datasets.
The EU’s AI Act, a risk-based regulation, bans “unacceptable risk” AI uses, like cognitive manipulation or social scoring, while imposing strict rules on “high-risk” applications, including biometrics, facial recognition, and AI in education or employment. Developers must also register AI systems and meet risk and quality management standards.
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Comments (3)
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Interesting move by Google, but is it just a PR stunt? 🤔 The EU's AI Act is ambitious, yet voluntary codes often feel like a polite nod before the real rules kick in. Still, better than nothing—though I'd rather see binding commitments than handshake agreements.
So Google finally decides to play nice with the EU's voluntary AI code? 😅 Feels like they're just trying to avoid mandatory rules later, but hey, at least it's a step. Wonder how many startups can actually afford to comply with all that paperwork though...

Google has pledged to adopt the European Union’s voluntary AI code of practice, a framework designed to assist AI developers in aligning with the EU’s AI Act by implementing compliant processes and systems.
In contrast, Meta recently declined to sign the code, criticizing the EU’s AI regulations as excessive and warning that Europe’s approach could hinder AI progress.
Google’s decision comes just before new regulations for “general-purpose AI models with systemic risk” take effect on August 2. Major players like Anthropic, Google, Meta, and OpenAI, along with other large-scale generative models, will have two years to fully comply with the AI Act.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, acknowledged improvements in the final code of practice compared to earlier EU proposals but expressed concerns about the AI Act’s potential to impede innovation.
“We’re worried that the AI Act and its code could slow Europe’s AI development and deployment. Deviations from EU copyright law, delays in approvals, or mandates exposing trade secrets might undermine Europe’s competitiveness in AI,” Walker wrote.
By endorsing the EU’s code, AI firms commit to guidelines such as providing updated documentation for their AI tools, avoiding training on pirated content, and respecting content owners’ requests to exclude their works from datasets.
The EU’s AI Act, a risk-based regulation, bans “unacceptable risk” AI uses, like cognitive manipulation or social scoring, while imposing strict rules on “high-risk” applications, including biometrics, facial recognition, and AI in education or employment. Developers must also register AI systems and meet risk and quality management standards.
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Interesting move by Google, but is it just a PR stunt? 🤔 The EU's AI Act is ambitious, yet voluntary codes often feel like a polite nod before the real rules kick in. Still, better than nothing—though I'd rather see binding commitments than handshake agreements.
So Google finally decides to play nice with the EU's voluntary AI code? 😅 Feels like they're just trying to avoid mandatory rules later, but hey, at least it's a step. Wonder how many startups can actually afford to comply with all that paperwork though...





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