Meta resists European Union's AI Act regulations
In a significant move, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has declined to sign up for the EU's code of practice for providers of general-purpose AI models. The decision has sparked controversy, with concerns centering on legal uncertainties, potential innovation stifling, and regulatory overreach.
Meta argues that the code introduces legal uncertainties by going beyond the scope of the AI Act. This could lead to additional regulatory risks for companies that choose to sign the code, as it may imply obligations not explicitly stated in the legislation. The company claims that the EU's implementation could potentially throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, potentially stifling innovation by increasing compliance costs and deterring companies from launching new AI projects in the region.
Moreover, Meta views the EU's approach as regulatory overreach, suggesting that it could lead to a "brain drain" or migration of AI projects to more permissive jurisdictions outside Europe. There are also concerns that the EU's approach places disproportionate compliance burdens on European firms compared to U.S. and Asian competitors. This could give non-EU companies an advantage until their products enter the EU market.
Notably, while Meta has declined to sign the code, Microsoft has indicated a willingness to engage with the EU framework. OpenAI, another provider, has signed the code but has advocated for greater simplification and harmonization to support European start-ups and smaller businesses.
The EU's code of practice is part of the EU AI Act, set to come into force next month. The measures in the code go beyond the scope of the AI Act, as stated by Meta. The code asks companies to refrain from training AI on pirated materials and comply with requests from content creators to omit their work from training data. AI providers who do not sign up for the code will be expected to demonstrate compliance by other means and may face more regulatory scrutiny.
The controversy comes as Meta faces new accusations of 'open washing' with its AI whitepaper. Meanwhile, the UK government is currently working with Meta to create an AI engineering dream team. The EU's move has also been met with opposition from over 40 of Europe's largest businesses, who have signed a letter calling for the Commission to 'Stop the Clock' in the implementation of the AI Act.
Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission vice-president responsible for tech sovereignty, has stated lawmakers are "very committed to our rules when it comes to the digital world". Despite the opposition, the EU remains resolute in its push for stricter AI regulations to ensure ethical and responsible AI development.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/technology/meta-declines-sign-eu-ai-code-practice-2022-03-30/ [2] https://www.politico.eu/article/meta-facebook-ai-eu-code-of-conduct-regulation/ [3] https://www.ft.com/content/65e6a666-e40c-46a8-a53d-30419046d022
Meta has expressed concerns that the EU's code of practice for AI providers could introduce legal uncertainties due to potential obligations not explicitly stated in the AI Act, which may lead to additional regulatory risks for companies. The company proposes that the implementation of this code could potentially hinders the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, thus stifling innovation.
The EU's code of practice, a part of the EU AI Act, introduces compliance burdens that could give non-EU companies an advantage over European firms until their products enter the EU market, as suggested by Meta. This could potentially lead to a migration of AI projects to more permissive jurisdictions outside Europe, resulting in a "brain drain" of technological advancements.
