US, Britain, EU to sign first international AI treaty

Convention covers human rights aspects of AI

By Reuters

Published: Thu 5 Sep 2024, 1:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 5 Sep 2024, 1:01 PM

The first legally binding international AI treaty will be open for signing on Thursday by the countries which negotiated it, including European Union members, the United States and Britain, the Council of Europe human rights organisation said.

The AI Convention, which has been in the works for years and was adopted in May after discussions between 57 countries, addresses the risks AI may pose, while promoting responsible innovation.

"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.

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The AI Convention mainly focuses on the protection of human rights of people affected by AI systems and is separate from the EU AI Act, which entered into force last month.

The European Union's AI Act entails comprehensive regulations on the development, deployment, and use of AI systems within the EU internal market.

The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, is an international organisation distinct from the EU with a mandate to safeguard human rights; 47 countries are members, including all the 27 EU member states.

An ad hoc committee in 2019 started examining the feasibility of an AI framework convention and a Committee on Artificial Intelligence was formed in 2022 which drafted and negotiated the text.

The signatories can choose to adopt or maintain legislative, administrative or other measures to give effect to the provisions.

The UK government said it would work with regulators, the devolved administrations, and local authorities to ensure it can appropriately implement its new requirements.