Britain, EU, US Sign First Global AI Treaty
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
VILNIUS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Europe’s leading human rights watchdog says Britain, the European Union, the United States, and others an artificial intelligence (AI) treaty amid concerns the technology threatens fundamental freedoms and human rights.
The Council of Europe called the “Al Convention” the first legally binding agreement on AI, which spread worldwide.
The accord, which has been in the works for years, was adopted in May after discussions between 57 countries.
It addresses the risks Al may pose while promoting responsible innovation. We must ensure that the rise of AI upholds our standards rather than undermining them,” Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejcinovic Buric stressed.
She said that the text was an “open treaty with a potentially global reach” and urged more countries to sign it and for countries that had already done so to ratify it.
The Council explained that the treaty “provides a legal framework covering the entire lifecycle of AI systems.”
“It promotes AI progress and innovation while managing the risks it may pose to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law,” it stressed.
The AI Convention was opened for signature at a conference of Council of Europe justice ministers in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
It comes just months after EU ministers gave final approval to the bloc’s own Artificial Intelligence Act, which aims to regulate the use of AI in “high-risk” sectors.
“This Convention is a major step to ensuring that these new technologies can be harnessed without eroding our oldest values, like human rights and the rule of law,” Britain’s justice minister, Shabana Mahmood, said in a statement.
The Al Convention mainly focuses on protecting the human rights of people affected by Al systems.
It is separate from the EU Al Act, which entered into force last month.