Tech industry wants more time to reply to AI consultation

The summer recess doesn’t help them to collect meaningful contributions, they claim.

Tech industry organisations have called upon the European Commission to extend the deadline for a consultation on trustworthy General Purpose Artificial Intelligence, because it runs in the summer period.
In a letter signed by ten trade associations, including DOT Europe, BSA, AmChamEU and CCIA, they say that the current six-week deadline during the summer recess “poses significant challenges and limits the ability of [their] associations to provide meaningful contributions.”
The signatories propose extending the consultation deadline by at least two weeks to be able to include positions of the wider industry. 
The Commission’s AI Office launched the call for feedback – which covers topics related to transparency and copyright – on 30 July, and the deadline will end on 10 September.
This is an addition to the call for expressions of interest to participate in the first General Purpose AI Code of Practice, between September 2024 and April 2025. The consultation is an opportunity for stakeholders to have their say on topics covered by this Code of Practice. 
The AI Act itself entered into force earlier this month (1 August) and aims to regulate AI systems and services according to the risk they pose to society. Some provisions will already apply shortly after the adoption of the regulation: the general-purpose AI rules will apply one year after entry into force and the obligations for high-risk systems in three years’ time.
Euronews has reported that some 700 companies have shown interest in joining the AI Pact – which are preparatory commitments to help businesses get ready for the legal framework.
With the Pact, the Commission aims to let businesses anticipate the AI Act with voluntary commitments and share ideas through workshops organised by the EU executive’s AI Office.