US, EU, UK Sign International AI Treaty

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Facts

• The US, EU, UK, Israel, and six other nations signed the first-ever legally binding international artificial intelligence treaty during a Council of Europe (COE) summit in Vilnius on Thursday.^[1][2]
• The document was initially passed in May, having been negotiated between the Council of Europe's 46 members (including all EU countries) and 11 external nations.^[3][4]
• The framework's 'general obligations' include a commitment to protect human rights, democratic institutions and processes, as well as freedom of speech during AI activities. The text also calls for 'adequate' transparency, oversight, accountability, and responsibility.^[5]
• The treaty applies to AI systems created by either public authorities or private organizations acting on their behalf, unless in the protection of national security within the jurisdiction of international law. The document also requires signatories to 'address risks and impacts' from private actors not directly covered within the text.^[5]
• This follows several other AI commitments over the last 12 months, including the EU AI Act, the Bletchley Declaration, and a Group of Seven (G7) AI agreement.^[6]

Sources: ^[1]Portal, ^[2]www.euractiv.com, ^[3]Euronews, ^[4]Reuters, ^[5]COE and ^[6]Ft.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Aimagazine and Analytics Insight. Having witnessed a series of voluntary agreements in the UK and South Korea, the shift to legally binding commitments is a welcome step forward in the bid to appease growing concerns over the dangers AI may pose to humanity. While tech regulation is not without its critics, and questions remain over ensuring effective implementation, the treaty is nonetheless a landmark milestone.
• Narrative B, as provided by euractiv.com. Following pressure from countries such as the US, the COE's public sector-focused convention is unfortunately filled with caveats and exemptions. With private companies mostly excluded and the use of ambiguous language likely to hinder enforcement, the AI treaty is far from what many had hoped and expected.
• Narrative C, as provided by The Michigan Daily. AI hysteria has led to a demand for regulation far too early in the technology's development. While AI's capabilities may certainly one day reach a level of sophistication or danger that requires intervention, evidence from Europe shows that, for now, this will likely only stifle research and innovation out of fear of an unlikely existential crisis.

Predictions