The CAHAI Bureau meeting was held on 15 January 2021 and discussed the next steps of the CAHAI’s work after the adoption of the feasibility study. It deliberated how to conduct of the multi-stakeholder consultation and how to organise sub-working groups.
Under the German Presidency of the Committee of Ministers a Conference was organised on 20 January 2021 on the theme of “Human Rights in the Era of AI - Europe as an international Standard Setter for Artificial Intelligence”. The Conference underlined the unique role of the Council of Europe in the international arena in the field of AI regulation with speakers highlighting the value of the CAHAI’s feasibility study. The German Presidency expressed its support for the development of a binding horizontal legal framework in combination with sector-specific legal instruments of a binding or non-binding nature, depending on the inherent risks to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The CAHAI-PDG held its 3rd meeting on 21-22 January 2021 and exchanged views on its working topics in 2021, which will range from proposing a suitable model for an impact assessment of AI applications from the perspective of human rights, rule of law and democracy to giving policy guidance on the use of AI in the public sector (e.g. in the framework of public procurement processes or, more broadly, in the public sphere). Furthermore, it held discussions on the review of the questionnaire which will be submitted to a multi-stakeholder consultation in the coming months. Finally, it was decided that the Secretariat will provide a mapping of Council of Europe ongoing inter-governmental initiatives in the field of AI in 2021 and of those tentatively planned for 2022-2023.
