The Council of Europe has recently agreed to a new international agreement that encompasses various measures for ensuring the safety of using artificial intelligence (AI) products: “The new framework agreed by the Council of Europe commits parties to collective action to manage AI products and protect the public from potential misuse.” The treaty seeks to balance the benefits of AI, such as boosting productivity and increasing cancer detection rates, with potential risks, such as the spread of misinformation or using biased data that may prejudice decisions.
The article emphasized that the agreement aims to protect the public and their data, and uphold human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The treaty will ensure countries monitor the development of AI and manage any technology within strict parameters. It also obliges countries to take action against any activities that fall outside these parameters to affiliate misuse of AI models that may jeopardize public services and the wider public.
Once the treaty is ratified, existing laws and measures in the UK will be enhanced, and the Convention aims to unify a global approach to manage the dangers of the technology. Countries outside the Council of Europe, including the United States of America and Australia, are also being invited to become signatories. Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood heralded the Convention: “Artificial Intelligence has the capacity to radically improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of public services…However, we must not let AI shape us – we must shape AI. 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.”
The Convention will help to safeguard human rights, protect democracy, and preserve the rule of law. The safeguards aim to ensure that people’s data is used appropriately, their privacy is respected, and AI does not discriminate against them; countries take steps to prevent public institutions and processes from being undermined; and signatory countries regulate AI-specific risks, safeguard their citizens from potential harms, and ensure it is used safely.
The government has pledged to work closely with regulators, devolved administrations, and local authorities as the Convention is ratified to guarantee that they can appropriately implement its new requirements. Marcelo Fabián Di Marco, Assistant Director of Information and Communications Technology at the Organization of American States, remarked: “The digital revolution is not being tamed, but it can be guided. It is up to government policymakers and professionals in organizations from across all sectors to ensure they are guiding the Fourth Industrial Revolution towards a sustainable future.”
