Council of Europe: Adopted Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Framework Convention including testing requirement

On 17 May 2024, the Council of Europe adopted the "Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Framework Convention", which includes testing requirements. The framework convention aims to ensure that the principles and obligations for the design, development, use and decommissioning of artificial intelligence (AI) systems are consistent with the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Regarding testing requirements, the framework's signatories would commit themselves to providing a controlled regulatory environment for the testing of AI systems. Further, signatories would take measures to identify, assess, and mitigate risks to human rights, the rule of law, and democracy, which, among other things, would require, in appropriate cases, prior testing of systems before they are made available for use. The framework was adopted in Strasbourg and involves 46 member states, the European Union, and 11 non-member states, along with representatives from the private sector, civil society, and academia. It will be available for signature in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 5 September 2024.