The European Commission has marked a significant milestone in efforts to ensure trustworthy artificial intelligence with the inaugural meeting of the Signatories Taskforce for the General Purpose AI Code of Practice. As reported in “First Meeting of Signatory Taskforce of the General Purpose AI Code of Practice” on the official Digital Strategy website of the European Commission, the gathering brought together a group of stakeholders committed to aligning AI systems with the ethical and legal rules laid out in the EU’s forthcoming AI Act.
Convened on March 28, the meeting included selected signatories from major tech companies, industry associations, and civil society organizations. These participants are collaborating on a voluntary framework that bridges the gap between existing AI capabilities and the obligations enshrined in the new regulatory environment. With the AI Act due to enter into force later this year, the code of practice is seen as a crucial interim tool for ensuring compliance and mitigating risks associated with the deployment of general-purpose AI, including powerful foundation models.
The taskforce plays a central role in refining the existing draft code of practice, which was produced in response to a June 2023 call for commitments as part of the Commission’s AI Pact. It is also intended as a foundational step toward a harmonized governance structure that can accommodate the rapidly evolving nature of AI technologies. While the code is voluntary, it is directly aligned with the AI Act’s goals and designed to facilitate early implementation of its provisions.
One of the meeting’s key objectives was to activate the mechanisms for updating and strengthening the proposed guidelines. This includes refining risk management protocols, transparency measures, governance norms, and technical standards for safety and accountability. Participants emphasized the importance of upstream responsibility, particularly for developers and deployers of general-purpose AI systems that can be adapted to a wide range of applications and domains.
The Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) is overseeing the initiative, reaffirming the EU’s intent to foster a responsible and innovation-friendly AI ecosystem. Commission officials reiterated their hope that the code of practice will serve as a model for global efforts to regulate general-purpose AI technologies while also ensuring their safe deployment within the EU’s digital single market.
The rapid proliferation of generative AI tools and language models has prompted widespread debate about governance frameworks that can address systemic risks such as misinformation, bias, energy consumption, and concentration of market power. As such, the EU’s code of practice is being closely watched not only as a regulatory template but also as a possible benchmark for international cooperation.
The Commission has stated that the taskforce will meet regularly throughout the year, with the aim of finalizing the updated code in line with the full entry into force of the AI Act. If successful, the initiative could mark a critical advancement in operationalizing ethical AI governance while preserving Europe’s commitments to transparency, fundamental rights, and technological leadership.
