The law layer · International · Council of Europe treaty
The Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law · opened for signature 5 September 2024
Page verified 5 August 2026. Recorded from the Council of Europe’s own publication of the Convention and its accompanying materials.
Everything else on this record is a national law, a state statute, a rule of court or a standard. This is the only treaty. It sits above the instruments beneath it, and it is the reason the direction of travel in AI regulation is not going to reverse in any one country.
What it is
- FirstThe first-ever international legally binding treaty on artificial intelligence.
- OpenedFor signature on 5 September 2024.
- ScopeCovers the entire lifecycle of AI systems, and addresses the risks they may pose while promoting responsible innovation.
- MeasureCompliance is measured against human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
- SignatoriesInclude the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel. The European Commission signed on behalf of the EU.
Why a treaty is a different kind of instrument
A national AI law can be repealed by the next government. A rule of court can be amended by the court that made it. A treaty binds the states that ratify it, obliges them to give effect to its principles in their own legal systems, and is measured against standards, human rights and the rule of law, that predate AI by decades and are not going to be redefined for it.
For anyone deciding whether AI accountability obligations are a passing regulatory fashion, this is the answer. The floor is now set at treaty level.
How it relates to everything else on this site
The Convention does not tell a law firm what to do with ChatGPT. It obliges the states that ratify it to have a framework that does. Read it as the layer above:
- TreatyFramework Convention. Principles across the AI lifecycle, binding on states.
- StatuteThe EU AI Act, Korea’s AI Basic Act, Italy’s Law 132/2025.
- Rules of courtNSW SC Gen 23, Qatar’s Practice Direction, Connecticut § 4-9.
- CasesThe sanctions record, where all of it is finally enforced against an individual.
What to do about it
This is an estate problem, not a document problem.
A treaty obliges states to make AI activity accountable across its whole lifecycle. Every layer beneath it eventually asks one organisation the same question: what did the system do, and what did a person decide. Regulayer records the decision as it is taken, outside the system being governed, content-free, and verifiable by anyone holding the file with public mathematics, without a call to us.
Regulayer for enterpriseThe Witness →
For an individual practitioner, the same engine is $349 a month with a free week: start sealing. See also the law layer and every jurisdiction we track.
Sources
- Council of Europe, the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
- European Commission, signature announcement
- Ratification status changes; anyone relying on this page for a specific country should check the Council of Europe treaty office before acting.
Related
Checked 5 August 2026. Information, not legal advice.
Common questions
Is there an international treaty on artificial intelligence?
Yes. The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law is the first legally binding international treaty on AI. It was opened for signature on 5 September 2024.
Who has signed the AI treaty?
Signatories include the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel, among others. The Council of Europe has 46 member states, and the Convention was negotiated with participation from non-member states as well, which is why its reach extends beyond Europe.
What does the Framework Convention cover?
The entire lifecycle of AI systems, measured against human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It sets a legal framework addressing the risks AI systems may pose while promoting responsible innovation, and leaves the detailed implementation to each party's own law.
How is a treaty different from the EU AI Act?
The AI Act is a regulation directly applicable in the EU with specific obligations, thresholds and penalties. The Framework Convention is an international instrument binding on states that ratify it, obliging them to give effect to its principles through their own legal systems. It sets a floor across many jurisdictions rather than a detailed compliance regime in one.
Information, not legal advice, and not advice on the law of any jurisdiction. Every entry is verified against the issuing body’s own document; where a source is reporting rather than the document, we say so.