Inclusion and anti-discrimination

Following the adoption of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on artificial intelligence and human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in May 2024 and its opening for signature on 5 September 2024, and the adoption of the EU AI Act, the first multi-country project on AI and Discrimination was launched in September 2024.

The project named “Upholding equality and non-discrimination by equality bodies regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public administrations” is co-funded by the European Union (EU) via the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the Council of Europe (CoE), in co-operation with the European Commission Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and the equality bodies of Belgium, Finland and Portugal.

It is a 2-year project that will last from September 2024 to August 2026, that aims at building   knowledge and capacity of equality bodies and other regulators to exercise their mandate, as highlighted in the EU AI Act, in the context of increasing cases of discrimination based on the use of AI systems.

This project also supports peer exchanges, mutual learning and synergies at national and European levels, through the development of trainings, guidelines and pilots, facilitating the design, development and implementation of reforms related to the EU AI Act and other relevant European standards.

The kick-off meeting of the project took place on 9-10 September 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal. The project consortium was hosted by the Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (Comissão para a Cidadania e a Igualdade de Género - CIG). Together with representatives from DG REFORM, CIG, Unia (the Belgian Interfederal Centre for Equal opportunities) and the Finnish Non-Discrimination Ombudsman Office, the CoE project team discussed the project workplan, deliverables and upcoming activities. A national launch of the project was also organised and enabled exchanges with Portuguese stakeholders regarding their future involvement in the project.

Find out more about the cooperation work led by the CoE on AI and Discrimination on this page.