The Council of Europe, through the work of its various bodies and of the ad hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAHAI), later succeeded by the Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI), has long concerned itself with the problems confronting humankind as a result of advances in information and digital technologies, and in particular algorithmic and artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS No 225) was adopted in May 2024 by the Committee of Ministers and opened for signature on 5 September 2024. It is a first-of-its-kind global legally binding instrument designed to ensure that activities within the lifecycle of AI systems respects common standards in human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and to minimise the risk of those rights and principles being undermined as a result of the use of AI systems.

The Framework Convention adopts a risk-based approach considering the severity and likelihood of a negative impact on human rights, democracy and the rule of law by AI systems. This requires a methodology to guide and assist in identifying contexts and applications where the deployment of AI systems could pose risks to the enjoyment of human rights, the functioning of democracy and the observance of the rule of law, and to assess and mitigate these risks. The development of this methodology, called HUDERIA (acronym for Methodology for the Risk and Impact Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Systems from the point of view of Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law), is the main focus of the CAI's work at present.

Civil society, research and academic institutions which have been admitted as observers by the CAI participate in its activities.

The Framework Convention is complemented by sector-specific work throughout the Council of Europe.