In a significant blow to regulatory efforts in Europe, Meta has chosen not to endorse the European Union's newly unveiled code of practice for its upcoming AI Act. This decision comes just weeks before crucial regulations for general-purpose AI models are set to take effect.

Joel Kaplan, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer, took to LinkedIn to voice the company’s concerns, stating, "Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI." He elaborated that after a thorough evaluation of the European Commission's Code of Practice, Meta found it riddled with legal ambiguities that exceed the intended scope of the AI Act.

The EU's voluntary code, published recently, is designed to assist companies in aligning their AI practices with the bloc's legislation. It mandates firms to regularly update documentation about their AI tools, prohibits training on pirated content, and enforces compliance with requests from content owners regarding data usage.

Kaplan criticized the EU’s approach as an 'overreach', arguing that the legislation could impede the development and deployment of cutting-edge AI models within Europe. He asserted that such regulations threaten to stifle innovation for European businesses striving to leverage AI technology.

The EU's AI Act imposes strict regulations, categorizing certain AI applications as 'unacceptable risk' and banning them altogether. This includes practices like cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring. Additionally, it lays out various 'high-risk' applications—such as facial recognition and biometric monitoring—that require stringent oversight.

Tech giants, including Alphabet, Microsoft, and Mistral AI, have rallied against these regulations, even calling on the European Commission to postpone implementation. However, the Commission remains steadfast, asserting that they will stick to their established timeline.

As the tension between tech companies and regulators escalates, the battle for the future of AI governance in Europe is just beginning. Will Meta's bold refusal set a precedent, or will it face consequences as the EU pushes forward?