Meta again on the warpath with Europe. Mark Zuckerberg officially announced that he would not sign the fresh Code of Conduct for AI, prepared by the European Union. This code is simply a voluntary set of guidelines to aid technology companies comply with the requirements of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). Although signing is not mandatory, Meta decided to make a spectacle of it and publically criticized the Brussels initiative.
Though they didn't have to, it was more crucial to stand up for themselves.
Joel Kaplan, head of the global Meta case, called the code "excess of powers" and accused the European Commission of "going in the incorrect direction on the AI". According to Kaplan, the code introduces legal ambiguities and goes beyond the framework of the law itself. However, it is hard to defy the impression that Meta simply doesn't want to give in to any control – especially erstwhile it comes to utilizing another people's work to train their own algorithms, and, more importantly, about the large money that might should be utilized to get the work.
The code clearly prohibits the training of AI on pirate content and requires respect for authors' requests not to usage their works as training data. It is simply a decision that could yet reduce the practice of feeding artificial intelligence intellectual property without the cognition of the authors – a process that technological giants usage to cover themselves with "technological progress".
It is worth adding that the signing of the code gives companies any legal certainty and can defend them from future charges of violating the AI Act. The European Commission announces that those who do not sign the paper will gotta prove compliance in a different way and can anticipate more scrutiny. The penalties for breaking regulations are severe – up to 7% of the company's yearly revenues.
It is not the first time Meta has fought European regulations. The company has already complained about the EU's "retarding innovation" and "delaying" of products. This time, however, having the Donald Trump administration on their side, which besides criticises EU legislation, Meta feels assured adequate to openly ignore European standards. The question is how long more the billionaires of Silicon Valley will be able to operate above the law and at whose cost to build their empires.
Source: engadget
