CoE adopted the first-ever international legally binding treaty aimed at ensuring the respect of human rights, the rule of law and democracy legal standards in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Last week witnessed a key milestone as the Council of Europe finalized the draft Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, set to become the first international treaty on AI. However, concerns persist over the convention's differentiated approach to regulating the private sector.

The Council of Europe has released the Explanatory Memo to aid in the interpretation of the proposed AI Treaty. The Explanatory Memo provides background, context, and examples to help explain the meaning of the various Articles contained in the AI Treaty.

Both the AI Treaty and the Explanatory Memo will be considered by the Council of Ministers of the COE at a meeting on 29 April 2024.

Today the Committee of Ministers transmitted the draft Framework Convention on artificial intelligence, human rights, democracy and the rule of law to the Parliamentary Assembly and invited the latter to give an opinion as soon as possible.

CAIDP has joined forces with AlgorithmWatch, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL), and over 90 other civil society organizations and prominent academics to ensure the upcoming global AI treaty, being finalized by the Council of Europe, provides robust protection for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The treaty, set to be the first binding international agreement on AI, aims to address the growing impact of AI systems on society.

This week the CAHAI published “Toward Regulation of AI Systems” and convened a panel to discuss Democratic Governance of AI. The CAHAI report explored global perspectives on the development of AI legal frameworks, and highlighted recent developments in Israel, Mexico, and Japan.

The Parliament Assembly of the Council of Europe has adopted a new resolution on the Need for Democratic Governance of Artificial Intelligence.