UK signs first-ever global treaty on AI

The Council of Europe Framework Convention on artificial intelligence and human rights, democracy, and the rule of law was opened for signature today during a conference of European justice ministers in Vilnius.

So far, the treaty has been signed by Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, San Marino, the United Kingdom as well as Israel, the United States of America and the European Union.

The UK’s lord chancellor and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “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.”

Marija Pejčinović Burić, secretary general of the Council of Europe, said: “We must ensure that the rise of AI upholds our standards, rather than undermining them. The Framework Convention is designed to ensure just that.

“It is a strong and balanced text — the result of the open and inclusive approach by which it was drafted and which ensured that it benefits from multiple and expert perspectives.

“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.”

The treaty will enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which five signatories, including at least three Council of Europe member states, have ratified it.

Countries from all over the world will be eligible to join it and commit to complying with its provisions.