Companies sign EU AI Pact

BRUSSELS — The European Commission has announced that over a hundred companies have become the initial signatories of the EU artificial intelligence (AI) Pact.

Those first signatories include many multinational companies and European SMEs including a number connected with the security industry like Milestone Systems, Securitas, Verisure, and Cisco.

“We need rules to ensure AI is being developed to serve humanity,” said Thomas Jensen, CEO of Milestone Systems earlier this year following their adoption of the G7 Code of Conduct for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems. “But companies should not wait for regulation. They must take their own steps to identify and resolve the weaknesses and pitfalls of the AI they develop."

The pact includes several voluntary commitments that apply the principles of the AI act ahead of its application. 

The pact calls for three core actions from companies who have pledged:

• AI governance strategy to foster the uptake of AI in the organization and work towards future compliance with the AI Act.
• High-risk AI systems mapping: Identifying AI systems likely to be categorized as high-risk under the AI Act
• Promoting AI literacy and awareness among staff, ensuring ethical and responsible AI development.

According to a release from the European Commission over half of the signatories have also committed to an additional number of pledges that include everything from human oversight and transparent labeling of AI-generated content.

Caution and legal restriction are not the sole goal of the commission regarding AI development however as it boosts efforts to help companies both meet obligations of the AI Act ahead of implementation and to boost innovation in AI for the EU. A release from the commission specifically cites the AI Factories initiative that began on September 10, 2024. It promises to provide start-ups and industries with a one-stop-shop to innovate and develop AI, including data, talent and computing power. The AI Factories are also expected to also propel the development and validation of AI industrial and scientific applications in key European sectors such as healthcare, energy, automotive and transport, defense and aerospace, robotics and manufacturing, clean and agritech.

“AI Factories are a highlight of the Commission's AI innovation package presented in January 2024, together with venture capital and equity support measures, the deployment of Common European Data Spaces, the ‘GenAI4EU' initiative, and the Large AI Grand Challenge giving start-ups financial support and access to EU's supercomputers, among other measures,” The European Commission wrote. “The Commission will also set up a European AI Research Council to exploit the potential of data, and the Apply AI Strategy to boost new industrial uses of AI.”

More information is available online at https://ec.europa.eu/.