Meta says it won't sign Europe AI agreement, calling it an overreach that will stunt growth

Meta Platforms declined to sign the European Union's artificial intelligence code of practice because it is an overreach that will "stunt" companies, according to global affairs chief Joel Kaplan.

"Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI," Kaplan wrote in a post Friday on LinkedIn. "This code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act."

Last week, the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, published a final iteration of its code for general purpose AI models, leaving it up to companies to decide if they want to sign.

The rules, which go into effect next month, create a framework for complying with the AI Act passed by European lawmakers last year. It aims to improve transparency and safety surrounding the technology.

Meta isn't the first company to stand up against Europe's new AI rulebook.

ASML Holding and Airbus were among the signatories in a recent letter that called on the EU to delay the code for two years. Last week, OpenAI committed to signing the code of practice.

"We share concerns raised by these businesses that this over-reach will throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, and stunt European companies looking to build businesses on top of them," Kaplan wrote.

Kaplan replaced former global affairs chief Nick Clegg earlier this year. He previously served as vice president of U.S. policy at Facebook and was a staffer in President George W. Bush's administration.

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