International Treaty Focusing On AI To Be Signed
19 September 2024
The Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, a first-of-its-kind international legally binding treaty, was agreed upon by 57 countries in May and is now open for signing.
The Council of Europe started the work of drafting the treaty in 2019 with the aim “to ensure that activities within the lifecycle of artificial intelligence systems are fully consistent with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law while being conducive to technological progress and innovation.”
The Framework Convention leverages existing international standards and attempts to fill gaps resulting from the rapidly advancing technology related to AI. It remains distinct from the United Nations Resolution on AI and the Artificial Intelligence Act that came into effect earlier this year in Europe.
It was drafted by all 46 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as all observer states, including Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Holy See, and the United States, and non-member states, including Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Israel, Peru, and Uruguay. 68 representatives from various countries from academia, industry, and international organizations assisted in drafting the Framework Convention.
The Framework Convention requires states to comply with fundamental principles around which they must develop safeguards and procedures while regularly assessing risks and defining prevention measures.
The fundamental principles focus on human dignity and individual autonomy, equality and non-discrimination, respect for privacy, personal data protection, transparency, and oversight.
The procedures must include ways for individuals to know they are interacting with AI and not a human, allow people ways to challenge AI decisions, and ensure the protection of human rights.
Established in 1949, the Council of Europe includes all 27 EU members among its 46 states. Its mission is to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe and beyond. Over the past 75+ years, it has implemented over 200 legally binding treaties.
