Google has said it will sign the EU’s code of practice for artificial intelligence, in a boost to the bloc as it tries to hold firm on its digital rules in the face of heavy pressure from the US government and other Big Tech groups.

The code sets out guidance for how general purpose AI should comply with the EU’s landmark AI Act, which includes legal obligations for the safe use of AI, copyright protections for creators and transparency around the models used to train AI.

Kent Walker, president of global affairs and chief legal officer at Google’s parent company Alphabet, said on Wednesday that the company would sign “with the hope that this Code, as applied, will promote European citizens’ and businesses’ access to secure, first-rate AI tools as they become available”.

But, he added, the internet giant would also submit feedback, as the AI Act and the code “risk slowing Europe’s development and deployment of AI”.

“Departures from EU copyright law, steps that slow approvals, or requirements that expose trade secrets could chill European model development and deployment, harming Europe’s competitiveness,” Walker warned.

The EU’s AI Act is considered the world’s strictest regime for regulating the fast-developing technology. It has been heavily criticised by the US government and Big Tech groups who argue that it will stifle growth.

In a statement on the EU-US trade deal signed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, the White House said that the two economies “intend to address unjustified digital trade barriers”.

However, the EU has said its online rules are a red line and will not be changed. “We are not moving on our right to regulate autonomously in the digital space,” a commission spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Google joins OpenAI and the French artificial intelligence company Mistral in signing the code, which applies to powerful AI models such as Google’s Gemini, Meta’s Llama and OpenAI’s GPT-4.

Microsoft president Brad Smith told Reuters earlier this month that it was “likely” that Microsoft would sign the code.

“This over-reach will throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, and stunt European companies looking to build businesses on top of them,” he said.

Meta’s refusal to sign follows an open letter from the chief executives of large European companies, including Airbus and BNP Paribas, urging a two-year pause by Brussels and warning that unclear and overlapping regulations were threatening the bloc’s competitiveness in the global AI race.

The AI Act is set to come into force early next month.