US, UK and EU sign Council of Europe’s International AI treaty

In a significant development concerning the use of artificial intelligence systems, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and others signed the Council of Europe’s International AI treaty on Thursday in Lithuania. The Council of Europe, a France-based human rights body, said the agreement was the first international legally binding treaty on the use of AI systems.

Israel, Georgia, Norway, Iceland, Andorra, Moldova and San Marino also signed the treaty. Some others involved in negotiating the treaty were Japan, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Costa Rica and the Vatican.

The Council of Europe, a 47-member body including the 27 EU nations, originally adopted this International AI treaty in May 2023. Prepared against the backdrop of fast evolving AI technology and growing concerns about their misuse such as deep-fakes, the treaty sets out a legal framework to govern the entire lifecycle of AI systems and address the risks they may pose while promoting responsible innovation.

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The Council of Europe’s treaty is different from the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act that was enforced early this month. The CoE treaty is open for even non-European members, and that it governs the use of AI systems for public and private sectors with different models of complying with its principles and obligations when regulating the private sector. The EU law regulates the use of AI in high-risk sectors.

“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,” Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said in a statement.

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“We must ensure that the rise of AI upholds our standards, rather than undermining them,” she said as the US, the EU, the UK and Israel among others joined the treaty.