The European AI Office has opened a call for expression of interest to participate in the drawing-up of the first general-purpose AI Code of Practice.
The European AI Office invites eligible general-purpose AI model providers, downstream providers and other industry organisations, other stakeholder organisations such as civil society organisations or rightsholders organisations, as well as academia and other independent experts to express their interest to participate in the drawing-up of the Code of Practice.
The Code will be prepared in an iterative drafting process by April 2025, 9 months from the AI Act’s entry into force on 1 August 2024. The Code will facilitate the proper application of the rules of the AI Act for general-purpose AI models.
You can express your interest by 25 August 2024, 18:00 CET, through this application form.
At the same time, the AI Office launched a Multi-stakeholder consultation on trustworthy general-purpose AI models under the AI Act. The consultation is an opportunity for all stakeholders to have their say on the topics covered by this Code of Practice.
The Code of Practice will detail the AI Act rules for providers of general-purpose AI models and general-purpose AI models with systemic risks. These rules will apply 12 months after the entry into force of the AI Act. Providers should be able to rely on the Code of Practice to demonstrate compliance.
The AI Office facilitates an iterative drafting process to ensure that the Code of Practice effectively addresses the AI Act rules. This includes transparency and copyright-related rules for all general-purpose AI models as well as a systemic risk taxonomy, risk assessment and mitigation measures. It is an inclusive and transparent approach which benefits from the input of all relevant stakeholders.
Interested and eligible general-purpose AI model providers and stakeholders will be part of a Code of Practice Plenary. The AI Office will verify eligibility on the basis of the expressions of interest and confirm participation to respective stakeholders.
The Plenary will be structured in four Working Groups on specific topics. Participants will be free to choose one or more Working Groups they wish to engage in. Meetings are conducted exclusively online. Following a kick-off Plenary in September, the participants will convene three times virtually for drafting rounds between September 2024 and April 2025 with discussions organised in Working Groups. Participants can express comments during each of those meetings or within two weeks in writing.
The AI Office will appoint Chairs and, as appropriate, Vice-Chairs for each of the four Working Groups of the Plenary, responsible for synthesising submissions from the consultation and plenary participants. Interested independent experts can apply for such a role.
As the main addressees of the Code, providers of general-purpose AI models will be invited to dedicated workshops with the Chairs and Vice-Chairs to contribute to informing each iterative drafting round, in addition to their Plenary participation. The AI Office will ensure transparency into these discussions, such as by drawing-up meeting minutes and making these available to all Plenary participants.
The final version of the first Code of Practice will be presented in a Closing Plenary, expected to take place in April, and published. The Closing Plenary gives general-purpose AI model providers the opportunity to express themselves whether they would envisage to use the Code.
After publication of the Code, the AI Office and the AI Board will assess its adequacy and publish this assessment. The Commission may decide to approve the Code of Practice and give it a general validity within the Union by means of an implementing act. If the Code of Practice is not deemed adequate, the Commission will provide common rules for the implementation of the relevant obligations.
For all relevant information, please read the Call for Expression of Interest carefully.
You can get in touch with the European AI Office for inquiries related to the call for expression of interest through our functional mailbox (hyperlink on the right side of the page).
