“Artificial intelligence (AI) is now an integral part of our private and professional lives and of governance at every level. However, the unregulated design and use of AI tools present significant risks and must be viewed through the prism of human rights and within the framework of strict regulation,” stressed Congress Spokesperson on digitalisation and AI David Eray (Switzerland, EPP/CCE) in his keynote speech at the 9th Summit of International City/County Management Association (ICMA), in Hasselt (Belgium) on 31 May 2024.
He underlined that digital transition was the matter for an effective multilevel governance, which meant for local and regional authorities working together and communicating with central governments to ensure coherence and progress in legislation and practices. “The voices of cities and regions should be taken into account because cities and regions cannot be genuinely ‘smart’ without being human-centred, without respecting human rights and supporting sustainable development”, pointed out the Congress Spokesperson.
He referred to the Congress work to promote digital equity and e-inclusion, in particular its 2022 report on smart cities and regions which addressed the role of technologies as the tools that should be mastered by people to improve their lives and well-being. Given the risks presented by AI, the Congress Spokesperson welcomed the fact that the Council of Europe had recently adopted a Convention on artificial intelligence as the first international binding treaty which sets fundamental principles and rules to safeguard human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the design, development, use and decommissioning of AI systems, and which is complementary to the existing Council of Europe standards, notably on human rights. He expressed hope that the multilevel governance perspective will be integrated into the Convention’s implementation.
