First international AI safety treaty signed by U.S., Britain, and EU aims to protect human rights

The first legally binding international AI treaty will be open for signing on Thursday by the countries that negotiated it, including European Union members, the United States, and Britain, the Council of Europe human rights organization said.

The AI Convention, which has been in the works for years and was adopted in May after discussions between 57 countries, addresses the risks AI may pose, while promoting responsible innovation.

“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,” Britain’s justice minister, Shabana Mahmood, said in a statement.

The AI Convention mainly focuses on the protection of human rights of people affected by AI systems and is separate from the EU AI Act, which entered into force last month.

The EU’s AI Act entails comprehensive regulations on the development, deployment, and use of AI systems within the EU internal market.

The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, is an international organization distinct from the EU with a mandate to safeguard human rights; 46 countries are members, including all the 27 EU member states.

An ad hoc committee in 2019 started examining the feasibility of an AI framework convention and a Committee on Artificial Intelligence was formed in 2022, which drafted and negotiated the text.

The signatories can choose to adopt or maintain legislative, administrative, or other measures to give effect to the provisions.

Francesca Fanucci, a legal expert at ECNL (European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting) who contributed to the treaty’s drafting process alongside other civil society groups, told Reuters the agreement had been “watered down” into a broad set of principles.

“The formulation of principles and obligations in this convention is so overbroad and fraught with caveats that it raises serious questions about their legal certainty and effective enforceability,” she said.

Fanucci highlighted exemptions on AI systems used for national security purposes, and limited scrutiny of private companies versus the public sector, as flaws. “This double standard is disappointing,” she added.

The U.K. government said it would work with regulators, the devolved administrations, and local authorities to ensure it can appropriately implement its new requirements.

(This story has been corrected to fix the number of Council of Europe member countries to 46, not 47, in paragraph 6)

—Rishabh Jaiswal, Supantha Mukherjee, and Martin Coulter, Reuters


https://www.fastcompany.com/91185178/ai-first-international-safety-human-rights-treaty-signed-us-britain-eu?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Created 11mo | Sep 5, 2024, 10:10:01 PM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

AI-generated errors set back this murder case in an Australian Supreme Court

A senior lawyer in Australia has apologized to a judge for

Aug 15, 2025, 4:40:03 PM | Fast company - tech
This $200 million sports streamer is ready to take on ESPN and Fox

Recent Nielsen data confirmed what many of us had already begun to sense: Streaming services

Aug 15, 2025, 11:50:09 AM | Fast company - tech
This new flight deck technology is making flying safer, reducing delays, and curbing emissions

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a modern airliner’s cockpit? While you’re enjoying your in-flight movie, a quiet technological revolution is underway, one that’s

Aug 15, 2025, 11:50:07 AM | Fast company - tech
The case for personality-free AI

Hello again, and welcome to Fast Company’s Plugged In.

For as long as there’s been software, upgrades have been emotionally fraught. When people grow accustomed to a pr

Aug 15, 2025, 11:50:07 AM | Fast company - tech
Why AI is vulnerable to data poisoning—and how to stop it

Imagine a busy train station. Cameras monitor everything, from how clean the platforms are to whether a docking bay is empty or occupied. These cameras feed into an

Aug 15, 2025, 9:40:03 AM | Fast company - tech
5 ways to keep your electronic devices from overheating this summer

The summer holidays are here and many of us will heading off on trips to hot and sunny destinations,

Aug 14, 2025, 5:30:04 PM | Fast company - tech
Why Nvidia and AMD’s China pay-to-play deal with Trump could backfire

Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly new

Aug 14, 2025, 5:30:02 PM | Fast company - tech