OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon among first AI Pact signatories

OpenAI, Microsoft and Amazon are among 100 companies who are the first to sign up to a voluntary alliance aiming to help usher in new AI legislation, the European Commission said today (25 September).  

Some other significant Big Tech companies like Google and Meta are yet to sign up to the so-called AI Pact, but according to a Commission spokesperson, the list is expected to grow over time.

The Commission previously said that some 700 companies have shown interest in joining the Pact – which involves voluntary preparatory commitments to help businesses get ready for the incoming AI Act.

The first call for interest was launched last November. With the Pact, the Commission aims to let businesses share ideas through workshops organised by the EU executive’s AI Office. 

The Pact supports industry’s voluntary commitments related to easing the uptake of AI in organisations, identifying AI systems likely to be categorised as high-risk under the rules and promoting AI literacy.

In addition to these core commitments, more than half of the signatories committed to additional pledges, including ensuring human oversight, mitigating risks, and transparently labelling certain types of AI-generated content, such as deepfakes, the Commission said.  

Sandro Gianella, OpenAI head of policy and partnerships for Europe and the Middle East, said in a statement that the company is “proud to support the Pact’s core priorities, which align with our mission to provide safe, cutting edge technologies that benefit everyone.”

Snap said it is joining the Pact “because our values and ongoing efforts are fundamentally aligned with the objective of the AI Act to support the development of trustworthy AI.”

The AI Act, the world’s first legal framework that regulates AI models according to the risk they pose, entered into force in August. 

Some provisions of the AI Act will already apply shortly after the adoption of the regulation: the general-purpose AI rules will apply one year after entry into force and the obligations for high-risk systems in three years’ time.