Parliamentarians, policymakers, experts, AI professionals, academics and NGO representatives meeting at Westminster in London have called for a stronger role for parliaments in shaping the development, application and regulation of artificial intelligence, to ensure compliance with democratic values and human rights.
Opening the conference alongside the Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge said that artificial intelligence (AI) has already altered the ways citizens form opinions and parliamentary representatives communicate with the public. He stressed that AI has also amplified the risks of foreign information manipulation and interference, noting that "in some cases, they use it to strike at the very heart of democracy by undermining free and fair elections".
Emphasising that technology must serve people and not the other way around, the Deputy Secretary General underlined the need for collective action: "Given that artificial intelligence knows no borders, we need to work together to ensure that our democratic processes remain resilient as information ecosystems evolve, with human rights at their core. Automated systems should assist, not replace, human beings."
Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Parliamentary of the Council of Europe, urged Europe's parliaments to assume democratic responsibility for overseeing AI, insisting that "technology must be at the service of representation, not its substitute".
Drawing on the myth of Prometheus, he described artificial intelligence as "the power of our time", warning against the gradual erosion of human autonomy and judgment. While AI can optimise objectives, he said, it cannot understand their value: "If we safeguard human dignity, keep political responsibility in human hands and use technology to strengthen - rather than replace - democracy, artificial intelligence will not determine our future. We will."
The conference, held on 15 and 16 December at the British Parliament in London, provides a platform to exchange best practice, clarify parliamentary roles in AI governance and mobilise support for the Council of Europe's Framework Convention on artificial intelligence.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
New Democratic Pact for Europe
