On Thursday, countries including European Union members, the United States, and Britain will have the opportunity to sign the first legally binding international treaty on artificial intelligence. Announced by the Council of Europe human rights organisation, this landmark agreement marks a significant step towards establishing global standards for AI governance.

The AI Convention, a product of extensive negotiations spanning several years, was adopted in May following discussions among 57 countries. This convention aims to address the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence while fostering 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.

The AI Convention primarily emphasises the protection of human rights for individuals impacted by AI systems and operates independently from the EU AI Act, which came into effect last month. The EU AI Act provides comprehensive regulations governing the development, deployment, and use of AI systems within the EU internal market.

The Council of Europe, established in 1949 and distinct from the EU, is dedicated to safeguarding human rights and includes 46 member countries, all 27 EU member states among them. In 2019, an ad hoc committee began exploring the feasibility of an AI framework convention. This led to the formation of a Committee on Artificial Intelligence in 2022, which drafted and negotiated the text of the convention.

Signatories of the AI Convention will have the option to adopt or maintain legislative, administrative, or other measures to implement its provisions. Francesca Fanucci, a legal expert at the European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting (ECNL) who contributed to the treaty's drafting process alongside other civil society groups, expressed to Reuters that the agreement had been "watered down" into a broad set of principles.

The UK government has announced that it will collaborate with regulators, devolved administrations, and local authorities to ensure the effective implementation of the new requirements established by the AI Convention.

Image source: Reuters