United States and European Union leaders said Wednesday they are working on a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence. 

Speaking at a news conference for the European Union-United States Trade and Technology Council in Lulea, Sweden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the leaders had “a very intensive and, I think, productive discussion on artificial intelligence today, including generative AI.”

The voluntary standards are intended to bridge the gap between now, as a technology that poses societal risks rapidly evolves, and the time it would take for governments to pass laws or adopt regulations governing it.

“I think we share a conviction that the TTC has an important role to play in helping establish voluntary codes of conduct that would be open to all like-minded countries,” Blinken said.

“We feel the fierce urgency of now, particularly when it comes to generative AI,” he added.

Generative artificial intelligence allows systems to create text, images, audio and code. Some critics have argued the technology could be misused to create disinformation, while others have warned code created by generative AI could pose cybersecurity risks.

Margrethe Vestager, European Commission executive vice president and EU competition commissioner, said she expects the TTC will release a draft of an AI code of conduct “within the next few weeks.” The council will seek input from the AI industry as well as independent experts, she said.

“We need accountable artificial intelligence,” Vestager said. “Generative AI is a complete game changer. Of course, we have had AI now for a very long time. It is used in many, many places. But generative AI is something new — you know, you have had it at your fingertips.

“It's really important that citizens can see that democracies can deliver, of course in legislation, but also in bridging the now and the legislative impact,” Vestager added.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the American and European interests are aligned on AI. She said she has “no doubt” Wednesday’s meeting will yield “concrete outcomes around responsible safeguards for artificial intelligence.”