This is a setback that we did not expect, Belgium voted against the European Code of Practice on AI for general use (GPAI), said the office of the Digital Minister Vanessa Matz.
While AI Act is preparing to enter a new stage in its history, with the application of new rules concerning the GPAI this August 2, here we learn that a Member State of the European Union is opposed to the code of good practices. And this country is none other than Belgium.
In question, the measures provided to ensure the protection of copyright that the Minister of Digital, Vanessa Matz, insufficient judge. It also points to the lack of insurance for fair remuneration for rights holders when their content (including press articles) are used to cause artificial intelligence systems.
“The answers generated by AI divert an increasing part of traffic and media and authors income, in a context where their economic model is already weakened. This cannot leave us indifferent. Just remuneration is essential to enhance the work of authors and artists,” she said by press release.
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Belgium therefore opposes the code of good GPAI practices which, it must be remembered, does not have No binding character And “aims to help industry comply with the rules of the AI Act relating to general use AI, which will enter into force on August 2, 2025”. In addition to not being restrictive, this code is not ambitious enough, according to Vanessa Matz.
The Minister of Digital had already made several proposals during the discussions to raise the level of requirements, including the simplification of the exercise of the withdrawal clause for rights holders, guarantees in terms of fair remuneration, the exclusion of research from sites illegally disseminating content, even in the absence of a commercial goal, and had reached the points that were improved compared to the initial version of the code.
However, even modified, the measures are still too insufficient.
The voices to be rising multiply
The European Union has suffered multiple criticisms since the presentation of the content of AI act aimed at supervising artificial intelligences for general use. Several large companies had also shared their fears in an open letter. On the other side of the Atlantic, voices had also raised itself, without it changing things.
The EU was content to propose this famous code of good practices to facilitate transition and promise facilities to those who would sign it. Something Google and Openai have done, unlike Meta who voted against.
Could the opposition of a Member State change things? Regarding the AI Acta Acta Application Agenda, no. The EU had already said that he did not come back to the subject. However, the Commission recognized that an evaluation and modification of the code could be made earlier than legally provided, while several European countries had expressed their dissatisfaction.
“I will continue to work with the competent services to ensure that the interests of journalists, publishers, producers and creators are well taken into account in AI models,” said Vanessa Matz, in his press release.
