Blitz Bureau
In a first legally-binding treaty on the use of Artificial Intelligence systems, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and several other countries signed Council of Europe’s International AI treaty in Lithuania on September 5.
The Council of Europe, a Francebased human rights body, said the agreement was also signed by Israel, Georgia, Norway, Iceland, Andorra, Moldova and San Marino. Some others involved in negotiating the treaty were Japan, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica and the Vatican.
The treaty focuses on three main areas – protecting human rights (including privacy and preventing discrimination), safeguarding democracy, and upholding the rule of law. It also provides a legal framework covering the entire lifecycle of AI systems, promoting innovation, and managing potential risks. The Council of Europe, a 47-member body, including the 27 EU nations, originally adopted this International AI treaty in May 2023.
Addressing risks
In the backdrop of fast evolving AI technology and growing concerns about their misuse such as deep-fakes, the treaty sets out a legal framework to govern the entire lifecycle of AI systems and address the risks they may pose while promoting responsible innovation.
The Council of Europe’s treaty is different from the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act that was enforced early this month. The CoE treaty is open for even non-European members, and it governs the use of AI systems for public and private sectors with different models of complying with its principles and obligations when regulating the private sector.
“The Framework Convention is an open treaty with a potentially global reach. I hope that these will be the first of many signatures and that they will be followed quickly by ratifications, so that the treaty can enter into force as soon as possible,” Council of Europe Secretary-General MarijaPejcinovicBuric said in a statement.
“We must ensure that the rise of AI upholds our standards, rather than undermining them,” she said as the US, the EU, the UK and Israel among others joined the treaty.
The treaty will enter into force three months after five signatories, including at least three Council of Europe member states, ratify it. The COE’s treaty joins other recent efforts to regulate AI including the UK’s AI Safety Summit, the G7-led Hiroshima AI Process and the UN’s AI Resolution.
