The European Commission said that the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have signed the first “legally binding” treaty on artificial intelligence, aiming to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence is consistent with “human rights, democracy and the rule of law.”
The treaty, called the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, sets out key principles that AI systems must adhere to, such as protecting user data, respecting the law and maintaining transparency in practices. Each country that signs the treaty must “adopt or maintain appropriate legislative, administrative or other measures that reflect the framework.”
Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, San Marino and Israel have also signed up to the framework, which has been under development since 2019.
We’ve seen a range of other AI security protocols emerge over the past few months, but most of them come with no consequences for signatories who break their promises. Although the new treaty is supposed to be “legally binding,” financial times points out that “compliance is primarily measured through monitoring, which is a relatively weak form of enforcement.”
“We must ensure that the rise of artificial intelligence upholds our standards and does not undermine them,” Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejčinović Burić said in a statement. “The Framework Convention aims to ensure this. It is a strong and a balanced text – the result of an open and inclusive approach. The treaty will enter into force three months after ratification by five signatories.
