It is a load bearing wall and therefore allowed under 250.68c2, the code doesn’t specify type of steel it just says structural steel and since it is on the exterior of the building holding up the wood joist it qualifies
One way to determine is if there is other heavier steel framing members that were put in place first, which ended up supporting the roof before the framing members in question were installed - they likely not a structural member, they are primarily just something to attach wall finish to. They might be heavier duty for exterior walls than for interior walls but still not critical to supporting the main structure.
Brings up a good question. I know in past I have or have seen GEC run to a purlin or girt instead of a main beam, even though they are solidly bolted together. Possibly not really the right thing to do? They definitely still much more capable of carrying large amount of current (paying close attention to what has to go through the bolted connection(s)) than say typical flimsy metal studs for interior drywall partitions.
