Council of Europe urges democratic safeguards for AI

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has said AI presents both significant opportunities and serious risks for democratic systems.

In a resolution based on a report by Deborah Bergamini, the Assembly described AI as one of the most transformative technologies in human history while warning of its potentially disruptive effects on democracy. However, it also expressed concern about the technology’s potentially disruptive impact on democracy in Europe and beyond.

The Assembly said regulatory and democratic governance frameworks are struggling to keep pace with rapid advances in AI. It warned that AI systems can pose risks to democratic processes, rights, and public trust if they are not appropriately governed.

At the same time, the resolution said AI should not be demonised. With appropriate safeguards, the Assembly said AI could strengthen democratic systems by increasing public participation, improving access to information and supporting deliberative democracy.

The Assembly said AI could also promote inclusiveness by reducing socio-economic barriers and improving access to public services, education, and employment.

However, the resolution also highlighted serious risks. The resolution warned that the large datasets used to train AI systems could be exploited by governments, companies or other actors for mass surveillance, predictive policing, social scoring and political censorship.

The Assembly also warned that AI systems can be affected by politically biased disinformation or contain biases that lead to ill-informed decisions or discrimination against groups such as women or minorities.

The resolution also highlighted the risk of AI hallucinations, in which systems generate incomplete or misleading information.

Parliamentarians urged Council of Europe member and observer states to ratify the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

The Assembly said the convention provides a common framework for ensuring that AI development and deployment remain consistent with human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Why does it matter?

The resolution reinforces the view that AI governance is not only a technology issue but also a question of democratic resilience. By highlighting risks such as surveillance, disinformation, bias and AI-generated misinformation alongside opportunities to improve participation and public services, the Parliamentary Assembly places democratic values at the centre of AI policymaking.

The Assembly’s call for wider ratification of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence also signals growing support for international governance frameworks. As governments develop national AI strategies and regulations, common principles based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law could help promote greater consistency and trust across jurisdictions.

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