Detailed overview
The OECD AI Principles and the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence are not country-specific AI laws, but they are important international standards. Many national AI frameworks use the same concepts: human rights, safety, transparency, accountability, fairness, human oversight, privacy, robustness and responsible innovation.
First intergovernmental AI standard
The OECD AI Principles were first adopted in 2019 and updated in 2024. They are described by the OECD as the first intergovernmental standard on AI. They define an AI system as a machine-based system that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers from input how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments.
The OECD framework promotes trustworthy AI and responsible stewardship. It includes values-based principles and policy recommendations covering inclusive growth, sustainable development, human rights, democratic values, transparency, explainability, robustness, security, safety and accountability.
Effect on companies
These international principles do not create direct penalties for private companies by themselves. Their legal importance comes from their influence on national AI laws, regulator guidance, public procurement, impact-assessment standards, corporate governance and sector-specific AI rules.