TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Google and Microsoft among 100 tech companies to sign Europe’s first-ever AI legal framework

Over 100 tech companies, including Indian IT majors Tata Consultancy Service (TCS), Infosys and Wipro along with giants like Google, Microsoft and Amazon have pledged their early compliance with the European Union’s (EU) artificial intelligence (AI) rules, which came into law on August 1, through an AI Pact.

What is AI Pact

The AI Pact essentially encourages and supports organisations to plan ahead for the implementation of AI Act measures.While some provisions of the AI Act are already fully applicable, it is to be noted that some rules for “high risk” systems will be enforced in the region in August 2027 – at the end of a transitional period (that is, the time between entry into force and date of applicability).
The European Commission is promoting the AI Pact for which it called for interest by companies in November 2023, obtaining responses from over 550 organisations of various sizes, sectors, and countries.

What is this AI Pact all about

The European Commission recently gathered major industry players in Brussels to celebrate the first signatories of the EU AI Pact, a voluntary set of pledges aimed at promoting responsible AI development.
Over 100 companies, including multinational corporations and European SMEs, have already signed on, representing diverse sectors like IT, healthcare, and finance. The AI Pact encourages these companies to take proactive steps towards compliance with the upcoming EU AI Act.
These steps include implementing AI governance strategies, identifying high-risk AI systems, and promoting AI awareness among staff. Companies are also urged to tailor further commitments to their specific activities, such as ensuring human oversight of AI systems, mitigating potential risks, and transparently labelling AI-generated content like deepfakes.
Facebook-parent Meta and Apple are not on the list of companies that have signed the AI Pact. ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has signed the pledge, despite its announcement last year saying it may ‘cease operating’ in the EU if it can’t comply with future regulation.