Elon Musk’s xAI to sign ‘Safety Chapter’ of European Union AI code, unclear on rest

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI announced on Thursday that it will sign the Safety and Security chapter of the European Union’s Code of Practice, a non-binding framework designed to assist AI firms in aligning with the EU’s forthcoming AI regulations.

The Code of Practice, developed by 13 independent experts, comprises three main sections: transparency, copyright, and safety and security. While all general-purpose AI providers are expected to follow the guidance on transparency and copyright, the safety chapter is specifically targeted at developers of more advanced systems.

By signing the chapter on safety and security, xAI stands to gain greater legal clarity within the EU’s evolving regulatory environment. However, the company expressed strong reservations about other parts of the Code.

“xAI supports AI safety and will be signing the EU AI Act’s Code of Practice Chapter on Safety and Security,” the company said in a post on social media platform X. “While the AI Act and the Code have a portion that promotes AI safety, its other parts contain requirements that are profoundly detrimental to innovation and its copyright provisions are clearly an over-reach.”

xAI did not confirm whether it intends to sign the remaining chapters related to transparency and copyright, and it did not respond to requests for further comment outside standard business hours.

Tech giants have taken varying positions on the Code. Google has said it plans to sign the full framework, and Microsoft has indicated it is likely to follow suit. Meta, however, has opted out, arguing that the Code introduces legal ambiguities and extends beyond the remit of the AI Act.

The EU’s AI Code of Practice is a voluntary measure, but signatories may benefit from increased legal certainty as they prepare for the bloc’s legally binding AI Act, which is set to come into effect in the coming years.

(With inputs from Reuters)