Yesterday, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers officially released the draft Framework Convention on AI, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, accompanied by an Explanatory Report.
The negotiating parties included the 46 Council of Europe member states, in addition to observer nations such as the United States, Canada, Peru, Argentina, Israel, Japan, Mexico and Australia. Various civil society organisations also participated as observers, with Pour Demain being one of them.
A significant achievement of the convention is its negotiation by an extensive coalition of countries, mandating all ratifying parties to mitigate risks associated with the lifecycle of AI systems, whether deployed by public or private entities. The flipside of this coin is that to find a workable compromise, many originally stronger worded sections needed to be moderated.
The ultimate effectiveness of the convention is yet to be determined. Nonetheless, we have found it an important process to contribute towards as it constitutes the first international regulatory framework on AI.