The Committee of Experts on the Implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Freedom of Expression (MSI-AI) held its first meeting, in hybrid format, on 23-24 April 2024. The Committee is composed of member States’ representatives, elected by the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), and independent experts, appointed by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, with recognised expertise in the fields of freedom of expression, AI language models and natural language processing, and practical applications of generative AI.

The MSI-AI is tasked to draft a Guidance Note on the implications of generative artificial intelligence for freedom of expression, by the end of 2025.

The meeting was opened by the Ms Irena GUIDIKOVA, Head of the Democratic Institutions and Freedoms Department, and Ms Artemiza-Tatiana CHISCA, Head of Freedom of Expression and CDMSI Division, who welcomed participants and underlined the added value of the Council of Europe human rights-based approach in providing practical guidance to maximise benefits and mitigate risks deriving from Generative AI and impacting freedom of expression.

The Committee of Experts elected Mr Andrin EICHIN (Switzerland) as Chair and Ms Katerina MANTZOU (Greece) as Vice-Chair of the MSI-AI. Ms Iva NENADIC (Croatia), Ms Murielle POPA-FABRE and Ms Patricia SHAW were designated as drafting co-Rapporteurs. Mr Raphael KIES (Luxembourg) was appointed as Gender Equality Rapporteur.

Committee members and participants held constructive discussions on the scope, purpose and main elements of the future instrument. Relevant information are regularly updated in the MSI-AI webpage.