EU Taps Major Tech Firms for AI Pact, Citing Concerns Over Meta's Absence

Meta has declined to endorse the European Union’s voluntary code of practice under the AI Act, just weeks before the bloc’s regulations for general-purpose AI models become enforceable.

“Europe is taking the wrong direction on AI,” stated Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan in a LinkedIn post. “After a thorough review of the European Commission’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models, Meta has decided not to sign it. This Code creates legal uncertainties for model developers and imposes requirements that exceed the AI Act’s intended scope.”

The EU’s voluntary code of practice, introduced earlier this month, is designed to assist companies in establishing processes and systems to comply with the bloc’s AI legislation. Key provisions include requiring companies to maintain and update documentation for their AI tools and services, prohibiting the use of pirated content for AI training, and honoring content owners’ requests to exclude their works from training datasets.

Kaplan criticized the EU’s implementation as regulatory “over-reach,” arguing that the law would “hinder the development and rollout of cutting-edge AI models in Europe and impede European businesses seeking to build upon them.”

The AI Act, a risk-based framework for artificial intelligence applications, prohibits certain “unacceptable risk” uses outright, including cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring. It also identifies “high-risk” applications in areas such as biometrics, facial recognition, education, and employment. Under the Act, developers must register their AI systems and fulfill risk management and quality assurance obligations.

Leading tech companies—including AI frontrunners like Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Mistral AI—have actively opposed the rules, even calling on the European Commission to postpone implementation. However, the Commission has maintained its position and will not adjust the timeline.

In related news, the EU released guidelines for AI model providers ahead of rules scheduled to take effect on August 2. These regulations will apply to providers of “general-purpose AI models with systemic risk,” including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta. Companies that already have such models on the market by August 2 must achieve compliance by August 2, 2027.

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