A Signature and a Stance: Why We Signed the EU’s General-Purpose AI Code of Practice

We signed the Code of Practice.

We also helped shape it. Invited by the EU’s AI Office to contribute during its drafting, we supported a framework grounded in the realities of building AI in Europe.

The Code reflects values we have championed from the beginning: transparency, responsibility and collaboration. We joined to ensure those principles were part of the foundation. Because progress does not come from resisting rules, but from engaging with them.

We value the Code’s focus on:

• Transparency, especially toward downstream providers, modifiers and public authorities, a cornerstone of how we build trust with customers and partners.
• Proportionality, which ensures obligations scale with provider size. This acknowledges the limited resources of startups and SMEs and supports their ability to remain competitive while meeting the respective requirements responsibly.
• Dialogue-based enforcement, which fosters trust and flexibility in a fast-moving, high-stakes field.

The AI Office’s approach respects the constraints innovators face while reinforcing the values that define European AI: trust, collaboration and partnership. That’s what sets Aleph Alpha apart, and why we’re proud to be part of shaping what comes next.

In Europe, we’re proud to turn intention into impact. From the start, we’ve led by example. Transparent model cards. Source-available code. Detailed documentation. Just to name a few. We’ve shown what trustworthy AI can look like, and the Code affirms our direction, encouraging others to follow.

We brought more than a signature. We brought perspective to help ensure that strong standards like a high-level of robust transparency, adherence to copyright law and security-by-design made it into the final version. And we did so while providing guidance on how to keep the framework technically feasible, aligned with the AI Act and grounded in the needs of European SMEs, startups and innovators.

The Code offers more than guidance. It helps create legal certainty to our fast-moving field. Its dynamic structure allows it to evolve with the technology, supporting innovation while protecting what matters most. For us, the Code is not just another piece of regulation. It’s a foundation for the kind of AI Europe and the wider world needs. Now.

In the end, we signed the Code because it reflects the future we believe in.

This isn’t just a signature. It’s a stance, a commitment to proving that AI that can be powerful and principled. We’re putting it into practice every day, and we invite you to follow along with us.