UK and EU sign Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI

05/09/2024 | UK Government

On Thursday, 5 September 2024, the UK Ministry of Justice, along with the European Commission, announced that they have signed the first legally-binding international treaty on AI: the Council of Europe (CoE) Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (the Convention). 

The Convention introduces three primary safeguards to protect human rights, ensure the appropriate use of people's data, respect their privacy, and prevent AI discrimination. It also focuses on safeguarding democracy by implementing measures to prevent the undermining of public institutions and processes while also protecting the rule of law by obliging signatory countries to regulate AI-specific risks and ensure its safe usage to protect citizens from potential harms.

In a statement for the UK government, Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood said: "Artificial Intelligence has the capacity to radically improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of public services, and turbocharge economic growth.

"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."

Read the European Commission press release

Access the CoE chart of signatures.

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Council of Europe (CoE)

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