Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of solutions, products and services. But for this to increase in the near future, companies and institutions are demanding security and regulation. A global report published last week by the Council of Europe now deals with just that; the regulation of artificial intelligence.
The report looks at the issue with both a European and global perspective, citing examples from Japan, Mexico and Israel where such regulation is already underway. The Council of Europe’s goal is to help countries keep pace with the impact of AI on society and the corporate world, and to generate the maximum benefits from it without limiting democracy.
“The development of this technology is a cause for public concern, and it is the responsibility of states to ensure that human rights, democracy and the rule of law continue to be fully protected.”
The Council of Europe, which spoke to its 47 member states for the report with representatives from different sectors, stresses that there are already global, legally binding standards in the field of artificial intelligence that are committed to both human rights and data protection. However, for these initial developments to continue, the report extensively deciphers the formal legal constraints, as well as the ethical standards that need to be informally promoted.
The analysis will be used to draft AI regulations in the coming months and years that may even one day become an international convention.
But regulation is not the only focus of the report. The Council of Europe wants to encourage companies by pointing out the potentials, such as in process automation or medicine, and shedding light on them rationally and transparently.
As an alliance of so many member states, however, the strongest appeal is that global cooperation is needed to establish and understand such a new technology in the long term. Only by working together can we minimize the obstacles and take full advantage of the opportunities.
