EU’s AI Code of Practice for Firms Likely Delayed Until End of 2025

The European Commission announced on Thursday that the Code of Practice designed to help companies comply with the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) may only come into effect by late 2025. This code aims to guide thousands of businesses on meeting the new AI regulations, especially for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s, and Mistral’s AI systems.

Background and Delay Calls

• The Code of Practice was originally slated for publication on May 2, 2025, but its release has been delayed.

• Major tech companies, including Alphabet (Google), Meta, and European firms such as Mistral and ASML, alongside some EU governments, have requested postponements due to the lack of clear compliance guidelines.

• The European AI Board is currently debating the timeline, with end of 2025 under consideration for full implementation.

Voluntary but Important

• Signing up for the Code is voluntary, but companies that refuse will not gain the legal certainty given to signatories.

• The Code will clarify the expected quality standards AI service users can demand, reducing risks of misleading claims by providers, according to Nick Moës, Executive Director of AI advocacy group The Future Society.

• The Code also involves oversight by legally mandated authorities to assess AI service quality.

EU’s Position and Industry Reaction

• Despite calls for delay, the Commission insists it remains committed to the AI Act’s goals of harmonized, risk-based AI regulations and market safety.

• Critics, such as campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory, accuse Big Tech of using delay tactics to weaken crucial AI safeguards.

Enforcement Timeline

• The AI Act’s rules on GPAI models become legally binding on August 2, 2025, but enforcement will begin only a year later, on August 2, 2026, for new models entering the market.

• Existing AI models have until August 2, 2027, to comply fully with the regulations.