Tech Giants Split on EU's AI Pact: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI Sign Up, While Apple and Meta Hold Back

Early sign-ups to EU's AI Pact include Amazon, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI -- but Apple and Meta are missing | TechCrunch

The European Commission has revealed a list of the first 100-plus signatories to the AI Pact -- an initiative focused on getting companies to publish "voluntary pledges" on how they approach and deploy artificial intelligence. While the bloc's legally binding risk-based AI rulebook (the AI Act) entered into force last month, it will be several years before all its compliance deadlines are in operation. That creates a vacuum of non-compliance that the EU is keen to plug with the AI Pact. The effort is intended to boost engagement and foster commitments so companies get on the front-foot by taking steps to implement the law's requirements ahead of the deadlines. The Pact also focuses on fostering info-sharing so signatories can help each other respond to the incoming requirements of the bloc's AI rulebook and proactively develop best practices. There are also three "core actions" that Pact signatories are expected to commit to (at a minimum): Beyond that, there's a long-list of potential pledges (available here in PDF form) that the Commission says was drafted by the AI Office, the body overseeing the AI Act, before being filtered after feedback from "relevant stakeholders" in the AI Pact network. The resulting pledge list allows for signatories to, essentially, pick and mix which commitments work for them. Examples include pledges to "design AI systems intended to directly interact with individuals so that those are informed, as appropriate, that they are interacting with an AI system," and "clearly and distinguishably label AI generated content including image, audio or video constituting deep fakes". This long list could encourage pro-compliance competition between signatories to see who's offering the most when it comes to AI safety. The AI Pact initiative was revealed in May 2023 by then-internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, and Google had agreed to help regulators work on the initiative at the time. Over a year later, the EU now has many more signatures, although some notable names are missing from the list. Apple isn't listed, for example, nor is Meta. The adtech giant told Reuters on Tuesday that it would not immediately join the effort, saying it wanted to focus its compliance work on the AI Act itself. Penalties for non-compliance with the EU's legally binding AI rulebook are stiff: They can reach up to 7% of global annual revenue for violating banned uses of AI; up to 3% for non-compliance with other AI Act obligations; and up to 1.5% for supplying incorrect information to regulators. So if Meta steps wrong when it comes to the real AI rules, it could be on the hook for billions in fines. That may be why it has so far snubbed the Pact, as reneging on pledges could merely invite a public dressing down. French large language model company Mistral is also not on the list. The company was among the AI Act's fiercest critics, so it's not so surprising it hasn't signed up for voluntary pledges either. Meanwhile, another European large language model maker, Germany's Aleph Alpha, has inked the Pact. However, it recently said it was pivoting to providing B2B support for generative AI tools. Given its evolving business model, it may be reconfiguring its policy priorities, too. Others on the list include Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, Palantir, Samsung, SAP, Salesforce, Snap, Airbus, Porsche, Lenovo and Qulacomm. On the flip side, there's no sign of Anthropic, Nvidia or Spotify -- notable absences, especially the first two given their salience to AI development. Spotify's absence is notable as the European company did sign an open letter organized by Meta last week, lobbying against regulations that might crimp the spread of generative AI. You can find the EU's full list of early AI Pact sign-ups here. There's a mix of types of companies signing up, including major European telecos, consulting firms, software players, banking/payment firms, multinationals, SMEs and consumer-facing platforms. Obviously, the 100+ names represent the tip of the iceberg when you consider how far and fast generative AI technologies are spreading. And as these are purely voluntary pledges, a signature on the AI Pact may not mean much more than a bid to grab reputational clout. Signatories are also invited to report on progress 12 months after they publish their own mix of pledges, which opens up the chance for another round of publicity.

More than 100 companies voluntarily sign EU AI Pact

While Meta is not among the signatories, a spokesperson told Euractiv that it hasn't ruled out the possibility of joining the pact at a later stage. More than 100 SMEs and multinational companies, including big names such as OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, have become the first signatories of the EU Artificial Intelligence Pact and its voluntary pledges. However, some Big Tech companies, such as Meta and Apple, are noticeably missing. The EU AI Pact calls for the participating companies to work towards future compliance with the AI Act, identify systems that might be categorised as high-risk under the Act and promote AI literacy among staff. In addition to the core pledges, more than half of the signatories signed additional pledges to ensure human oversight, mitigate risks and transparently label AI-generated content. Currently, there are 116 signatories on the AI Pact, with the EU continuing to update the list as new pledges are signed. A spokesperson for Meta told Euractiv yesterday (24 September) that it hasn't ruled out the possibility of joining the pact at a later stage. "We welcome harmonised EU rules and are focusing on our compliance work under the AI Act at this time, but we do not rule out our joining the AI Pact at a later stage." The landmark EU AI Act entered into effect on 1 August this year and intends on regulating AI through a risk-based approach. Simply put, the higher the risk that an AI system poses, the more rules that apply to it. The Act would be working in conjunction with existing legislations around data including the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, Data Governance Act, and Data Act. The EU AI Pact is a voluntary measure that developers and organisations can sign to adopt the Act's key measures ahead of legal deadlines. The AI Act has stringent penalties, as companies might be facing fines up to 7pc of their global annual turnover for violations of banned AI applications. They will also face fines of up to 3pc for violations of other obligations and a maximum of 1.5pc of their global turnover for supplying incorrect information. While the AI Act has been viewed as landmark regulation to rein in the growing power of AI, some have criticised parts of the legislation. Dr Kris Shrishak, a technology fellow at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, told SiliconRepublic.com earlier this year that the AI Act relies too much on "self-assessments" when it comes to risk. "Companies get to decide whether their systems are high risk or not," he said. "If high risk, they only have to perform self-assessment. This means that strong enforcement by the regulators will be the key to whether this regulation is worth its paper or not. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon among first AI Pact signatories

The voluntary AI Pact aims to help companies comply with the EU's AI Act OpenAI, Microsoft and Amazon are among 100 companies who are the first to sign up to a voluntary alliance aiming to help usher in new AI legislation, the European Commission said today (25 September). Some other significant Big Tech companies like Google and Meta are yet to sign up to the so-called AI Pact, but according to a Commission spokesperson, the list is expected to grow over time. The Commission previously said that some 700 companies have shown interest in joining the Pact - which involves voluntary preparatory commitments to help businesses get ready for the incoming AI Act. The first call for interest was launched last November. With the Pact, the Commission aims to let businesses share ideas through workshops organised by the EU executive's AI Office. The Pact supports industry's voluntary commitments related to easing the uptake of AI in organisations, identifying AI systems likely to be categorised as high-risk under the rules and promoting AI literacy. In addition to these core commitments, more than half of the signatories committed to additional pledges, including ensuring human oversight, mitigating risks, and transparently labelling certain types of AI-generated content, such as deepfakes, the Commission said. Sandro Gianella, OpenAI head of policy and partnerships for Europe and the Middle East, said in a statement that the company is "proud to support the Pact's core priorities, which align with our mission to provide safe, cutting edge technologies that benefit everyone." Snap said it is joining the Pact "because our values and ongoing efforts are fundamentally aligned with the objective of the AI Act to support the development of trustworthy AI." The AI Act, the world's first legal framework that regulates AI models according to the risk they pose, entered into force in August. Some provisions of the AI Act will already apply shortly after the adoption of the regulation: the general-purpose AI rules will apply one year after entry into force and the obligations for high-risk systems in three years' time.

Meta will not immediately join EU's AI Pact ahead of new law

(Reuters) - Meta Platforms will not immediately join the European Union's AI Pact, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. The pact is a temporary measure before the bloc's AI Act comes into full effect. EU lawmakers in May agreed to the act, the first-of-a-kind rules governing the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. The AI Act entails that companies will be obliged to provide detailed summaries of the data used to train their artificial intelligence models. Last month, the European Commission said the majority of rules of the act will start applying on Aug. 2, 2026. Until the law kicks in, companies are encouraged to sign up to a voluntary AI Pact to implement key obligations of the rules. "We welcome harmonised EU rules and are focusing on our compliance work under the AI Act at this time," the Meta spokesperson said, adding that the Facebook parent could join the AI Pact at a later stage. The AI Act is the fifth pillar of EU legislation and would work in conjunction with the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, Data Governance Act, and Data Act. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Meta will not immediately join EU's AI Pact ahead of new law

Meta Platforms will not immediately join the European Union's AI Pact, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. The pact is a temporary measure before the bloc's AI Act comes into full effect. EU lawmakers in May agreed to the act, the first-of-a-kind rules governing the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. Meta to set up team to counter disinformation, AI abuse in EU elections The AI Act entails that companies will be obliged to provide detailed summaries of the data used to train their artificial intelligence models. Last month, the European Commission said the majority of rules of the act will start applying on August 2, 2026. Until the law kicks in, companies are encouraged to sign up to a voluntary AI Pact to implement key obligations of the rules. "We welcome harmonised EU rules and are focusing on our compliance work under the AI Act at this time," the Meta spokesperson said, adding that the Facebook parent could join the AI Pact at a later stage. The AI Act is the fifth pillar of EU legislation and would work in conjunction with the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, Data Governance Act, and Data Act. Published - September 25, 2024 09:31 am IST Read Comments

Meta, Mistral Will Not Sign EU's AI Pledge

Meta and Mistral will decline to voluntarily comply with parts of the European Union's recently enacted Artificial Intelligence Act that won't go into effect until 2027, spokespeople for the companies told Bloomberg. Other AI companies including Google and Microsoft will agree to the voluntary commitments on Wednesday, and Meta could sign on at a later point, the news report said. Companies

Meta will not immediately join EU's AI Pact ahead of new law

EU lawmakers in May agreed to the act, the first-of-a-kind rules governing the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. The AI Act entails that companies will be obliged to provide detailed summaries of the data used to train their artificial intelligence models. Last month, the European Commission said the majority of rules of the act will start applying on Aug. 2, 2026. Until the law kicks in, companies are encouraged to sign up to a voluntary AI Pact to implement key obligations of the rules. "We welcome harmonised EU rules and are focusing on our compliance work under the AI Act at this time," the Meta spokesperson said, adding that the Facebook parent could join the AI Pact at a later stage. The AI Act is the fifth pillar of EU legislation and would work in conjunction with the Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, Data Governance Act, and Data Act. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Meta to Spurn EU's Voluntary AI Safety Pledge Ahead of New Law

Meta Platforms Inc. is spurning the European Union's voluntary artificial intelligence safety pledge that's planned as a stopgap measure before the bloc's AI Act rules take full force in 2027. Meta could join the so-called AI Pact initiative at a later stage, a spokesperson for the company said by email on Tuesday.