The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom (UK) signed the “Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law” on September 5.
- The treaty was opened for signature during a conference of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 5 September.
- The Framework Convention was adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 17 May 2024. The 46 Council of Europe member states, the European Union and 11 non-member states negotiated the treaty. Representatives of the private sector, civil society and academia contributed as observers.
- This is the first “legally binding” international treaty on the use of the revolutionary AI.
- The treaty prioritises human rights in its approach to the regulation of public and private-sector AI systems.
- It adopts a risk-based approach to the design, development, use, and decommissioning of AI systems.
- It covers the use of AI systems in the public sector — including companies acting on its behalf — and in the private sector, and will be applicable across geographies.
- Signatories will be accountable for any harmful and discriminatory outcomes of AI systems, and will ensure that outputs of such systems respect equality and privacy rights, and that victims of AI-related rights violations have legal recourse.
Previous AI agreements
- The G7 pact on AI (October 2023),
- Europe’s AI Act, and
- Bletchley Declaration signed by 28 countries (November 2023).
