Brussels – Is artificial intelligence (AI) an existential threat or an opportunity for progress? According to the Council of Europe, the key lies in using it responsibly. The international organisation today (4 September) adopted a recommendation addressed to the governments of its 46 member states, aimed at helping students, teachers, parents, workers, and citizens of all ages understand AI and to recognise situations in which it may threaten human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Adopted by the Committee of Ministers at this week’s meeting in Munich (Germany), the text places education at the heart of Europe’s response to AI. In particular, it implements Article 20 of the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law – the first legally binding international treaty aimed at ensuring compliance with legal standards on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems – which commits states to promoting digital literacy and skills in education. The recommendation also calls for the provision of education, training, and continuous professional development on digital literacy for public officials and other professionals in the sector.
In the text, AI is described as a “sociotechnical phenomenon” in that “the systems themselves, as well as the people, institutions, policies, and social practices that shape how they are designed and used.” AI literacy means understanding the effects of AI on society, “not just knowing how the tools work.” This distinguishes it from other models that focus primarily on technical skills and “reflects the Council of Europe’s long-standing conviction that education is one of the pillars of democracy.”
Member States are provided with a framework of 22 guiding principles, organised around four themes: fundamental understanding of AI; human rights and dignity; democracy and the rule of law; social action and critical thinking. These principles are in turn based on a model comprising three dimensions: the human, technological, and practical dimensions of AI. The Council of Europe attaches particular importance to the human dimension, which encompasses: “human dignity, social agency, privacy, autonomy, equity and non-discrimination, together with AI’s wider implications for well-being, social justice, sustainable development and the environment.” Seven operational recommendations – grouped under governance, curricula, teaching and assessment, professional development, higher education and research, and public awareness – aim to guide member states in translating these principles into policies and practices in classrooms, universities and society at large.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
