The Council of Europe has recently adopted the first binding international treaty (from a legal perspective) regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence.
The international treaty will not only apply to European countries, but also to other territories and covers the life cycle of Artificial Intelligence systems, as well as the risks, thus promoting responsible innovation.
This Framework Convention was adopted in Strasbourg, thus becoming the first international treaty that will guarantee and protect human rights while Artificial Intelligence is being used.
The legislation has been developed over two years in an attempt to regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence systems in both the private and public sectors (an intergovernmental body that brought together 46 Council Member States, the European Union and 11 non-member States, as well as representatives of the private sector, civil society and academia - the latter as observers).
Additionally, it emphasizes the guiding principles of law such as transparency, identifying, evaluating, preventing and mitigating any risks that may exist, as well as the separation of powers, judicial independence, access to justice, equality, prohibition of discrimination and the right to privacy.
The aforementioned treaty will not apply to matters of national defence or to activities such as research and development, although there are exceptions as relevant as the testing of Artificial Intelligence systems, provided that they affect human rights, democracy or the rule of law.
A monitoring mechanism has been developed to verify the correct application of the treaty.
Furthermore, it will be up to the States to develop their own oversight mechanisms, including consultations and debates to raise public awareness.
The signing of theAgreement will take place on September 5, 2024 in Vilnius, Lithuania
