20 January 2021 | Online Conference

Human rights in the Era of AI -

Europe as international Standard Setter for Artificial Intelligence

Human Rights in the Era of AI is a high-level conference jointly organized by the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, in cooperation with the Council of Europe. The conference is part of Germany’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from November 2020 to May 2021. 

The conference will be livestreamed on this webpage on Wednesday, 20 January 2021 from 1.00 p.m. to 5.45 p.m. (CET) and interpreted from/into English, French and German.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) impacts people’s everyday lives around the world. The Council of Europe plays a key role in setting internationally binding standards for safeguarding human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the age of AI. Discussions at the conference will focus on issues including the impact of AI on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as well as the feasibility and finer details of a future legal framework for AI.

A significant achievement of the Council of Europe concerning AI is the European Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in the judicial systems and their environment. It was drafted by the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ). You can find a video presentation of the President of the CEPEJ, Ramin GARAGURBANLI, here

The Council of Europe is not the only international forum dedicated to standard-setting on the ethics of artificial intelligence. UNESCO recently published a draft Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. It represents a novel, anticipatory, and transformative framework, offering concrete policy actions that are anchored in universal values and principles. For more information, see https://en.unesco.org/artificial-intelligence/ethics.