US, UK and EU sign first international AI treaty
The first legally binding international treaty on artificial intelligence (AI) could be signed on Thursday by the countries that negotiated it, including European Union member states, the United States and Britain, the Council of Europe human rights body said.
The AI treaty, which has been in the works for years and was adopted in May after discussions among 57 countries, addresses the risks that AI can bring while promoting responsible innovation.
“This treaty is an important step in ensuring these new technologies can be deployed without undermining our most enduring values, such as human rights and the rule of law,” UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement.
The AI Treaty focuses primarily on protecting the human rights of people affected by AI systems and is separate from the EU AI Act, which entered into force last month.
The EU AI Act provides comprehensive regulations for the development, deployment and use of AI systems within the EU internal market.
The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, is an international organisation separate from the EU, whose mission is to protect human rights. It has 47 member countries, including all 27 EU member states.
In 2019, an ad hoc committee began examining the feasibility of an AI framework treaty. In 2022, an Artificial Intelligence Committee was established to draft and negotiate the text.
Signatories may choose to take or maintain legislative, administrative or other measures to give effect to the provisions.
Francesca Fanucci, a legal expert at ECNL (European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law Foundation) who helped draft the treaty along with other civil society organisations, told Reuters the agreement had been “watered down” to a broad set of principles.
“The wording of the principles and obligations in this Convention is so broad and replete with reservations that it raises serious questions about its legal certainty and effective enforceability,” she said.
Fanucci highlighted exceptions to AI systems used for national security purposes, and limited oversight of private companies versus the public sector, as flaws. “This double standard is disappointing,” she added.
The UK government has indicated that it will work with regulators, devolved governments and local authorities to ensure the new requirements can be implemented appropriately.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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