The European Union's AI Pact, a voluntary agreement aimed at guiding companies on compliance with upcoming legislation on artificial intelligence, has gotten off to an uncertain start, as some key tech players remain on the sidelines. According to Politico, Apple and Meta have so far refused to sign such a pact, potentially limiting certain AI features within their services for users in the EU.
Announced earlier this year, the AI Pact aims to speed up companies' compliance with the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act before it takes full effect in coming years. By voluntarily signing up to principles on issues such as data governance, accountability, and workforce training, signatories hope to gain a regulatory advantage.
More than 100 companies have signed up so far, including OpenAI, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung. However, two players remain absent from the table. According to the report, Apple says it is working directly with the authorities in the EU, but has not signed the agreement. Meta also remains rather lukewarm despite early momentum having come for the agreement.
Meta spokesperson Anna Kuprian said the following in a statement to the Politico:
“We welcome harmonised EU rules and are focusing on our compliance work under the AI Act at this time, but we don’t rule out our joining the AI Pact at a later stage.”
This comes at an uncomfortable time as regulators are taking a harder look at big tech over data privacy and algorithmic decision-making. Without buying into the voluntary framework, Apple and Meta are facing delayed rollout of new AI products and services in Europe or prompting tougher oversight.
This is particularly pertinent to Apple's forthcoming "Intelligence" features tied to the iPhone 16's upgrades. In addition, it raises the specter of limited expansion of Meta AI, the company's virtual assistant.
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