What’s in a code of conduct?

At its core, a code of conduct is a written agreement that signals an intentional effort to set the tone for how to represent oneself while performing ones’ duties. While not necessarily legally binding, codes of conduct or ethics codes signal expectations. They outline how people are expected to show up, how they engage with one another, and how they move through conflict or disagreement while continuing their work. 

So yes, there have been a few headlines around codes of conduct in 2025, but we’ve been creating these kinds of agreements for a long time. Ancient legal codes like Hammurabi’s or philosophical frameworks like Stoicism were efforts to formalize behavior so people could live, build and govern together — even in disagreement. 

Several cities across San Mateo County have long had formal codes in place for elected and appointed officials. While these expectations may be integrated into procedures manuals or be standalone documents, the movement is clear: More and more governing bodies and communities are realizing that writing down how we work together is just as important as the work itself. 

Interestingly, codes of conduct are appearing outside of policy binders and increasingly they appear in public and commercial spaces. Hillsdale Shopping Center’s code of conduct for instance reminds visitors that disruptive behavior, profanity or threatening language won’t be tolerated. While many codes of conduct include provisions for taking punitive action, the priority is always to create and maintain a space for productive and respectful work. 

Even digital spaces rely on the same logic. Most online platforms have community guidelines or terms of use that act as de facto codes of conduct. These guidelines help platforms define acceptable behavior and establish a basis for moderation. In open-source software communities, the Contributor Covenant became a widely adopted standard for inclusion and respectful communication among volunteer developers who may never meet in person.

On the international stage, the European Union is entering the second enforcement phase of its landmark AI Act. As of this month, general-purpose AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Mistral must comply with a newly finalized code of practice designed to govern how their models are developed, distributed, and deployed. This code outlines specific requirements around transparency, safety testing, copyright compliance and risk mitigation. High-impact models deemed to post systemic risks must also undergo rigorous oversight, including incident reporting and the sharing of model documentation to regulators. Like any other code of conduct, the AI Act focuses on defining acceptable practices and to who model developers are accountable. 

One important thing to note is that if companies are doing business in the EU, the AI Act will need to be honored and it’s likely that even though the United States does not have adopted AI legislation, just like with GDPR and consumer privacy, generally companies adhere to the most conservative read to avoid forking their codebases. So while the United States continues to avoid setting federal policy driving AI development, Big Tech will be doing the work anyway. Thanks, EU. 

What all of these codes of conduct have in common is that they provide a framework to which all participants agree. But most importantly, codes of conduct act as a forcing function. They ask participants to step outside of themselves and focus on what the work or the space demands. It may mean actively putting aside personal grievances and staying rooted in the issue at hand. In a community space, it means recognizing the needs of others who share it. In the ultra-fast AI tech world, it means thinking through consequences and building responsibly. Without shared guardrails, even well-intentioned people can talk past one another, escalate unnecessarily or confuse volume for impact. A well-written code of conduct gives us all something to return to when things get off track.

Perhaps most importantly, codes of conduct remind us that nearly every system is made up of people. People with values, experiences, responsibilities and blind spots. A good code makes space for all of that while still helping keep the work on track. It asks us to do more than just coexist and instead we are called to participate with clarity and a shared understanding that how we work is part of the work itself.