EU Could Have AI Code of Conduct ‘Very Soon’

The European Union’s top technology official says rules governing artificial intelligence (AI) could be imminent.

Speaking at Wednesday (May 31) news conference following a meeting of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council, Margrethe Vestager said a draft code of conduct on AI could arrive in weeks. She also said the U.S. and Europe should back a voluntary code of conduct until new laws are crafted.

“Generative AI is a complete game-changer,” said Vestager, whose comments were reported by Reuters. “Everyone knows this is the next powerful thing. So within the next weeks we will advance a draft of an AI code of conduct,” she said, adding the hope that a final proposal would be signed by the industry “very, very soon.”

Her comments come as new developments in so-called large language models have stoked fears that AI could eventually be used at scale to sow misinformation and propaganda or that it could wipe out millions of white-collar jobs.

“Eventually, some believe, AI could become powerful enough that it could create societal-scale disruptions within a few years if nothing is done to slow it down,” PYMNTS wrote.

Earlier this week, a group of tech executives and AI scientists issued a joint statement calling for stronger regulation of the industry.

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” read the statement by the Center for AI Safety.

Among the signatories were executives from Google and Microsoft, along with the CEOs of AI firms Anthropic and OpenAI.

Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company could leave Europe if the EU’s AI Act overregulates artificial intelligence. He later reversed that statement after meeting with leaders from the EU.

“Very productive week of conversations in Europe about how to best regulate AI! We are excited to continue to operate here and of course have no plans to leave,” Altman said on Twitter.

As PYMNTS has reported, the AI Act could end up becoming the world’s first comprehensive legislation governing AI. In addition to the measures dealing with generative AI like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, lawmakers earlier this month also agreed to a ban on the use of facial recognition in public and on predictive policing tools.

“This vote is a milestone in regulating AI, and a clear signal from the Parliament that fundamental rights should be a cornerstone of that,” Kim van Sparrentak, a member of Holland’s Greens party, said in an interview with Reuters. “AI should serve people, society, and the environment, not the other way around.”