The Council of Europe is an international organisation that seeks to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has set up an intergovernmental committee of experts to examine the feasibility of a legal framework for the development, design and application of artificial intelligence (AI).
To carry out its work, the Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI) will take into account the standards of the Council of Europe in the fields of human rights, democracy and the rule of law and carry out broad multi-stakeholder consultations.
The decision was taken during its 1353rd meeting on 11 September 2019.
The member states agreed that the fast development of artificial intelligence made it necessary for the organisation to explore the feasibility and potential content of a legal framework addressing the challenges it creates for human rights, the rule of law and democracy.
The Council of Europe is an international organisation that seeks to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 47 member states, 28 of which are members of the European Union.
Law on smart technologies
While in the U.S., discussions are being taken up about regulation of AI, Germany has set ethical rules for autonomous vehicles. China, Japan and Korea are following Germany in developing a law on self-driven cars.
India is also picking up speed in the filed AI. The government in its Budget 2019 proposed to launch a national programme on AI to identify projects and initiatives for implementing AI technology.
In her maiden budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will focus on training youth in newer areas like artificial intelligence, internet of things, big data and robotics to empower them to take up the high-paying jobs overseas.
Recently, the finance ministry has also cleared the NITI Aayog’s Rs 7,000-crore plan for setting up an AI framework.
However, no comprehensive legislation to regulate this growing industry has been formulated in India till date.
Source: Council of Europe
