UK signs Council of Europe AI Treaty

On 5 September, the UK was one of the first countries to sign the Council of Europe’s AI Convention which aims at ensuring that the use of AI respects human dignity, equality and privacy.

This legally binding treaty, the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, was also signed by the US, the EU, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Norway, the Republic of Moldova and San Marino.

While the scope is essentially the public sector, private sector organisations acting on behalf of public authorities are also included.

Council of Europe Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, 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.”

The Framework Convention was adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 17 May 2024. It will enter into force once five signatories, including at least three Council of Europe member states, have ratified it.

Another matter relating to the Council of Europe, the UK’s relationship with the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights, is no longer endangered. Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has said that the Labour government will not leave the Convention on Human Rights which was discussed by the Conservative government. This in turn is a positive development in light of the 2025 review of the UK-EU adequacy agreement.

See: Council of Europe: Council of Europe opens first ever global treaty on AI for signature