Council of Europe — Framework Convention on AI (CETS No. 225) and the Committee on AI (CAI)

What it does

First legally binding international treaty on AI, opened for signature 5 Sept 2024. 19 signatories at last check including Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Moldova, San Marino, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UK, plus non-members Canada, Israel, Japan, the USA and Uruguay, and the European Union. The EU has ratified; the treaty requires five ratifications including three CoE member states to enter into force, so it is NOT yet in force. Obligations cover human rights, democracy and rule of law across the AI lifecycle.

Honest assessment

Open to organised civil society through observer status, closed to individuals. The CAI historically ran genuinely substantive observer participation during drafting — one of the better multilateral records. Slow: entry into force is still pending.

Concerns it covers

Human rights, democracy and rule of law — so democratic-process harms, discrimination, and rule-of-law erosion. Systemic/structural rather than catastrophic-risk framing.

Government channel

Treaty-level — binding on ratifying parties, with implementation reporting through the Conference of the Parties once in force.