Meta has refused to sign the European Commission’s new AI Code of Practice, escalating tensions with Brussels just weeks before landmark regulation kicks in.

The voluntary guidelines – designed to help tech giants prepare for the EU’s sweeping AI Act – were rejected outright by Meta’s global affairs chief Joel Kaplan, who warned they introduced “legal uncertainties” and “go far beyond the scope of the AI Act”.

“Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI,” Kaplan wrote on LinkedIn. “We share concerns raised by other businesses that this overreach will throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, and stunt European companies looking to build businesses on top of them.”

Silicon Valley vs Brussels

The Commission’s code – which includes guidance on transparency, safety, and copyright – has been signed by Meta rivals OpenAI and Mistral, and Microsoft is reportedly preparing to follow suit.

But Meta’s refusal reflects deeper frustration in Silicon Valley, where concerns are mounting that EU regulation is evolving faster than many companies can keep up.

Over 110 firms including Airbus, ASML, and Siemens recently signed a letter to EU president Ursula von der Leyen calling for a two-year “clock stop” on enforcement of the AI Act.

The European Commission says the code offers a “stepping stone” to compliance, particularly for developers of general-purpose AI like Meta’s Llama models.

But critics argue it adds complexity and introduces new risks, particularly around copyright obligations and dataset disclosures.

Kaplan warned it could “throttle” innovation in Europe – especially for smaller firms without Meta’s compliance resources.