EU General-Purpose AI Code of Practice
European Commission AI Office (drafted by independent experts); voluntary signatures by model providers · 2025-07-10 (final); obligations applied 2025-08-02
A voluntary rulebook that shows how big AI model makers can meet the EU AI Act's requirements on safety, copyright and transparency. Most major labs signed; Meta refused and xAI signed only part of it.
What it calls for
- Transparency
- Safety evaluations
- Data rights
- Creator compensation
Scope
25+ signatories incl. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Mistral, Amazon, IBM; Meta refused; xAI signed only the Safety & Security chapter
What actually happened
Signing gives providers a presumption of compliance with AI Act Articles 53/55. Meta's Joel Kaplan announced Meta would not sign, calling the code overreach (https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/18/meta_declines_eu_ai_guidelines/); xAI signed the safety chapter only (https://techinformed.com/meta-rejects-eu-ai-code-of-practice/). FLI's Winter 2025 AI Safety Index found even signatories' practices fall short of the code's depth (https://futureoflife.org/ai-safety-index-winter-2025/). AI Office enforcement powers (fines) begin August 2026.