Last week, the European Commission signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – the first legally binding international treaty on AI.

The Convention aims to facilitate a common approach among State Parties to ensure that AI systems are compatible with human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Commission has negotiated the AI Convention on behalf of EU Member States and intends to implement the Convention by means of the AI Act, which provides product safety rules for AI systems, along with other relevant EU legislations where needed. Providing a mechanism to assess legislation, such as the EU’s AI Act, the Convention has the potential to fill regulatory gaps to ensure that AI systems comply with international standards.

Richard Burnley, Director of Legal and Policy, EBU said: “The Convention’s main achievement lies in creating a regular forum for States to exchange on AI policies and developments and facilitate a common approach to AI regulation globally. As the first international AI treaty, it provides a framework to assess legislation, such as the EU’s AI Act, but also other domestic laws.” After the Commission’s signature, both the Council and the European Parliament should also give its consent.

EBU Legal looked at the impact of these two instruments on core public service media interests. For additional background on the emerging AI regulatory landscape and public service media concerns see our overview and our four principles on AI and copyright.