Canada & Japan sign first ever trustworthy AI treaty
On 11 February 2025, Canada and Japan signed the first ever binding Treaty on trustworthy AI: the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human RIghts, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
“The signature of these two G7 members at the Paris AI Action Summit is a very significant development” said Karine Caunes, Digihumanism Executive Director. “It signals an international consensus on the necessity to regulate AI to achieve true innovation. Alignment with our common democratic values is a condition for international interoperability.”
Mélanie Joly, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, declared: “Canada is proud to sign the first international convention on AI and human rights. This will reinforce human rights and democratic norms in AI governance, while strengthening transatlantic and global cooperation on AI, including in emerging markets and developing countries.”
In a press release, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that “Japan will continue to lead international efforts to achieve safe, secure, and trustworthy AI (…) Japan's signing of the Convention has great significance from the perspective of demonstrating both domestically and internationally Japan's positive attitude towards participating in and contributing to discussions on international frameworks for AI.”
Have already signed the AI Treaty: the European Union (27 member states), the United Kingdom, Israel, the United States, Andorra, Georgia, Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, and the Republic of Moldova.
The Treaty will enter into force after ratification by at least 5 signatories.
The Treaty put the protection of human rights at the heart of the AI revolution and articulate some key principles:
Integrity of democratic processes and respect for the rule of law
Human dignity and individual autonomy
Transparency and oversight
Accountability and responsibility
Equality and non-discrimination
Privacy and personal data protection
Safe innovation
Accessible and effective remedies for violations of human rights resulting from the activities within the lifecycle of artificial intelligence systems
Effective procedural guarantees, safeguards and rights
The AI Treaty also sets the basis of a common risks and adverse impacts management framework and of an institutionalised cooperation mechanism to tackle in a swift and efficient manner any risks and adverse impacts to human rights. The tenets of this mechanism are: periodic reporting, information exchange and effective compliance oversight.