EU releases first draft of general purpose AI as part of AI Act

The European Union has released the first draft of the general-purpose AI code of practice portion of the AI Act, the continent’s legislation designed to regulate artificial intelligence.

This portion of the AI Act, which became law earlier this year, will be applicable to providers of general-purpose AI models. There is an invitation for feedback that will last until November, the European Commission said in a statement.

The first draft, which was prepared by independent experts, is the first of four, with the conclusion set to occur in April 2025.

“The final document will play a crucial role in guiding the future development and deployment of trustworthy and safe general-purpose AI models,” the EC wrote in its release.

“It should detail transparency and copyright-related rules for providers of general-purpose AI models. For a small number of providers of most advanced general-purpose AI models that could pose systemic risks, the Code should also detail a taxonomy of systemic risks, risk assessment measures, as well as technical and governance mitigation measures.”

The makers of general purpose AI models will have transparency requirements go into force on August 1, 2025, but those that are deemed to have “systemic risk” will have 36 months to abide by the risk assessment, no later than August 1, 2027.

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