The United Kingdom has signed an agreement with other members of the Council of Europe to ensure artificial intelligence use upholds human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The agreement, signed by Lord High Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood alongside her counterparts from the 46-nation Council of Europe, aims to establish a collaborative action in managing AI-enabled products and solutions to protect the public from associated dangers.
“Artificial intelligence has the capacity to radically improve the responsiveness and effectiveness of public services and turbocharge economic growth,” Mahmood said. “However, we must not let AI shape us; We must shape AI.”
She added, “[The] 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 signatories agreed on focus on three areas:
- protecting human rights by ensuring an individual’s privacy is respected and that the AI-enabled solution does not discriminate against anyone,
- protecting democracy by embracing preventive actions against threats targeting public institutions, and
- protecting the rule of law by enacting rules that address AI-specific risks.
Signing the AI agreement aligns with the British government’s recently launched AI Opportunities Action Plan, a road map with an aim to take advantage of AI to ensure growth and increase productivity, benefiting the British public.