The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that several technology companies are signing on to the federal government's new code of conduct for generative artificial intelligence, a set of voluntary guidelines aiming to limit harm until formal AI regulation comes into force in two years. The Globe's Irene Galea writes that BlackBerry, OpenText, Ada-AI, Cohere and Coveo will be among the first signatories of the Guardrails for Generative AI Code of Practice, committing to a range of measures on safety, equity and transparency. The finalized guidelines were announced by Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne at an AI conference Wednesday in Montreal, after a series of consultations conducted by the Innovation ministry over the summer. Ottawa says the code applies to all firms developing or managing generative AI, which draws on large datasets of text, images or audio to produce new content. The technology has been widely criticized for the risks it poses to privacy, equity and copyright. The department has projected that the provisions of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act will come into force no sooner than 2025. The act is being considered by the House standing committee on technology and industry.