Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
In plain wordsThe first binding international treaty on AI, drawn up by the Council of Europe, in which countries promise that AI used by governments and businesses will respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS No. 225), the first international AI treaty with binding legal force. Each party must see to it that whatever is done with AI systemsAI system, n.: A complete piece of technology that uses AI to do something, such as screening loan applications, driving a car or chatting with customers, including the AI model and the software around it., at any stage of their life cycle, respects human rights, democracy and the rule of law; it must give effect to principles such as human dignity and individual autonomy, equality and non-discrimination, privacy, transparency and oversight, accountability, reliability and safe innovation, and provide remedies, procedural safeguards and risk and impact assessment. As a framework treaty it sets obligations of result rather than detailed rules. It covers public authorities in full; for private actors, each party may apply the treaty's obligations directly or address the risks through other appropriate measures. Activities protecting national security are excluded, as is research and development until systems are tested or used. A Conference of the Parties oversees implementation.
Ratifying the Framework Convention would oblige the government to offer remedies against its own algorithmic decisions.
Origin
Negotiated from 2022 in the Council of Europe's Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI), with non-member states such as the United States, Canada, Japan and Israel taking part; adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 17 May 2024 and opened for signature in Vilnius on 5 September 2024, when the United States, the United Kingdom, the EU and others signed. It enters into force after five ratifications, at least three by Council of Europe member states.
Usage note
By September 2025, 16 states and the EU had signed; the EU ratified on 15 May 2026, but trackers still listed the treaty as awaiting entry into force in September 2026. Civil-society critics argue that the private-sector option and national-security exclusion weaken it.
Related
- AI governanceAI governance, n.: The rules, institutions and habits that shape how AI is built and used — from laws and treaties to technical standards and a company's own review processes.
- OECD AI PrinciplesOECD AI Principles, prop. n.: Guidelines for trustworthy AI that governments agreed through the OECD in 2019, the first such standard agreed between governments; many later laws and agreements borrowed from them.
- UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AIUNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, prop. n.: A worldwide set of ethical principles for AI that all of UNESCO's member countries agreed in 2021, covering human rights, fairness, privacy, the environment, gender equality and education.
- EU AI ActEU AI Act, prop. n.: The European Union's law on artificial intelligence, the first broad AI law anywhere: it bans some uses, sets strict checks for risky ones and puts duties on the makers of the biggest AI models.
- human oversighthuman oversight, n.: Keeping people able to watch, understand, question and, if necessary, stop or overrule an AI system, rather than letting it act unchecked.
Sources
- Council of Europe (2024). Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. CETS No. 225. Vilnius, 5 September 2024.
- Council of Europe (2026). European Union ratifies the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence. 15 May 2026. coe.int/en/web/artificial-intelligence/-/european-union-ratifies-the-council-of-europe-framework-convention-on-artificial-intelligence
Defined in law or standards
CETS No. 225, Art. 2 (definition of 'artificial intelligence system'); scope Art. 3
Mentioned in
AI governanceAI governance, n.: The rules, institutions and habits that shape how AI is built and used — from laws and treaties to technical standards and a company's own review processes., OECD AI PrinciplesOECD AI Principles, prop. n.: Guidelines for trustworthy AI that governments agreed through the OECD in 2019, the first such standard agreed between governments; many later laws and agreements borrowed from them., UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AIUNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, prop. n.: A worldwide set of ethical principles for AI that all of UNESCO's member countries agreed in 2021, covering human rights, fairness, privacy, the environment, gender equality and education., World AI Cooperation OrganizationWorld AI Cooperation Organization, prop. n.: An international organization for cooperation on AI, based in Shanghai, set up in 2026 by an agreement among 29 countries on China's initiative.