Europe must ensure that the power of Artificial Intelligence is regulated and used “for the common good”, PACE’s Political Affairs Committee has said, calling for a legally-binding instrument to ensure the democratic governance of AI.
Approving a resolution based on a report by Deborah Bergamini (Italy, EPP/CD), the committee said the Council of Europe should play a “pioneering role” in designing ways and formats to ensure that AI-based technologies are used to “enhance, and not to damage democracy”.
Any regulation should be built around key ethical principles, including transparency, fairness, privacy and a clear attribution of human responsibility for the consequences of AI technology, the committee said.
AI’s positive impact should be encouraged in areas such as holding governments to account, fighting corruption, encouraging democracy and improving transparency in public life. On the other hand, its use to interfere in elections, manipulate public opinion, spread misinformation or control the behaviour of individuals should be prevented or limited.
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There should also be safeguards against the over-concentration of data and AI know-how in the hands of a few big private actors, and their activities subject to democratic oversight.
Meanwhile, platforms should be encouraged to conduct “human rights due diligence” on the social impact of their algorithms, the parliamentarians said.
PACE’s Legal Affairs Committee is currently preparing a report on the role of AI in policing and criminal justice systems, and both reports are due for debate by the Assembly or its Standing Committee during a forthcoming special debate on the theme of Artificial Intelligence.
PACE