Council of Europe and Microsoft sign framework cooperation agreement to promote human rights in the age of AI

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Alain Berset and Brad Smith look at the European Convention on Human Rights as the Council of Europe and Microsoft deepen cooperation on AI

The Council of Europe and Microsoft have signed an agreement establishing a framework for cooperation to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law through responsible and inclusive technological development and innovation, and to address challenges in the digital environment, including artificial intelligence (AI).

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and the Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, signed the memorandum of understanding establishing the framework agreement at the Council of Europe's headquarters in Strasbourg today.

Secretary General Berset said: "Disregard for international law has caused the rupture in the world order. AI is arriving in the middle of that rupture, with force taking the place of shared rules. No technology has ever needed these rules more, since AI moves faster than our democratic safeguards. Working with business must be a priority to address the challenges. With partners like Microsoft, the Council of Europe can make this transformation responsible."

"AI is creating extraordinary opportunities, but its success will ultimately be measured by how well it serves people," said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft. "Our partnership with the Council of Europe is putting that principle into practice, helping ensure that innovation remains grounded in human rights, democracy, and the rule of law."

The agreement establishes a framework for the Council of Europe and Microsoft to explore areas of cooperation, subject to mutual agreement and within their respective mandates and areas of expertise. This may include engaging in dialogue, notably through Microsoft's Open Innovation Centre in Strasbourg, sharing knowledge and good practices on responsible and inclusive technological development, and supporting initiatives that promote linguistic and cultural diversity, including regional or minority languages.

The memorandum of understanding will further develop cooperation between the Council of Europe and Microsoft in projects such as the Register of Damage for Ukraine, which Microsoft's AI for Good Lab is already supporting in assessing damage by applying AI and satellite analysis.

Previous cooperation has been strong in the field of cybercrime. Microsoft has supported the Council of Europe's Budapest Convention on Cybercrime within the framework of the Council of Europe's Global Project on Cybercrime, and the Cybercrime Octopus project, aimed at helping countries implement the treaty and strengthen data protection and rule-of-law safeguards.