The AI Pact will encourage and support companies in planning ahead for the measures provided for in the AI Act.
In 2021, the Commission presented its proposal for the AI Act which is currently in the final stages of the legislative process.
While some provisions of the AI Act will already apply shortly after the adoption of the Regulation, others (for example, some requirements on the high-risk AI systems) will only be applicable at the end of a transitional period (i.e. the time between entry into force and date of applicability).
In this context, the Commission is initiating the AI Pact, seeking the voluntary commitment of industry to anticipate the AI Act and to start implementing its requirements ahead of the legal deadline.
This is all the more important given that in the past few months technological developments and the mainstream adoption of generative and general purpose AI systems have been accelerating. While many players in the field have already taken steps to alleviate concerns, further urgent actions are necessary.
1. What will the Pact consist of?
The AI Pact is a scheme that will foster early implementation of the measures foreseen by the AI Act. Companies will have the opportunity to demonstrate and share their commitment towards the objectives of the future AI Act and prepare early on to be ready for its implementation. More specifically, the Pact will encourage companies to voluntarily communicate the processes and practices they are putting in place to prepare for compliance and ensure that the design, development and use of AI is trustworthy.
Industry commitments will take the form of pledges (declarations of engagement) to work towards compliance with the upcoming AI Act accompanied with details about concrete actions being carried out or planned to address specific requirements of the future AI Act. Such commitments can include a gradual approach, i.e. outline plans to move, within a defined timeframe, towards higher levels of ambition than actions already implemented.
The pledges would be collected and published by the Commission, in order to provide visibility, increase credibility, and build additional trust in the technologies developed by companies taking part in the Pact.
2. Which actors will be involved?
The AI Pact will convene, on a voluntary basis, key EU and non-EU industry players to take part in a community of exchange of best practices that will aim to increase awareness of the principles underpinning the future AI Act, and (upon adoption of the Act) ensure commitment to anticipate and bridge the gap before the applicability of the AI regulation.
3. What are the benefits of the Pact for participants?
The Commission will work together with the participants and support for them in:
- building of common understanding of the objectives of the future AI Act;
- taking concrete actions to understand, adapt and prepare for the future implementation of the AI Act (e.g. build internal processes, prepare staff and self-assess AI systems);
- sharing knowledge and increase the visibility and credibility of the safeguards put in place to demonstrate trustworthy AI; and ultimately
- building additional trust in AI technologies.
The Pact will allow front-runners and ambitious participants to test and share their solutions with the wider community, giving them a first-mover advantage.
4. What are the next steps?
Today, the Commission is launching a “call for interest” for organisations that want to get actively involved in the AI Pact. As a next step, the Commission will bring together interested parties, in the first half of 2024, to discuss the ambitions of the Pact and collect preliminary ideas and best practices which could inspire future pledges. Following the formal adoption of the AI Act, the AI Pact will be officially launched and “frontrunner" organisations will be invited to make their first pledges public.
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