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OECD AI Principles

The first intergovernmental standard on artificial intelligence, adopted in May 2019 and updated in May 2024. On 29 September 2026, 50 countries and the European Union had committed to it.

The Château de la Muette in Paris, part of the OECD headquarters, in March 2019.
The Château de la Muette in Paris, part of the OECD headquarters, in March 2019. Photo: mySociety, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic licence.
AI Existing / enacted International (OECD member countries and other countries that have signed up)

Official name: Recommendation of the Council on Artificial Intelligence
Citation: Adopted 22 May 2019; revised 8 November 2023 and 3 May 2024
Year / status: In force as an OECD recommendation; voluntary

What it does

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental forum of 38 member countries, adopted this recommendation on 22 May 2019. Its Council revised it on 8 November 2023 to update the definition of an AI system, and again on 3 May 2024 to reflect new technology and policy, including generative AI. It sets five values-based principles for trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI): inclusive growth, sustainable development and well-being; human rights and democratic values, including fairness and privacy; transparency and explainability; robustness, security and safety; and accountability.

Where it applies / status

The OECD register of legal instruments lists who has committed to the recommendation: all 38 OECD members, 12 other countries (Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Croatia, Egypt, Malta, Peru, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine and Uruguay) and the European Union. Cambodia and Croatia were the most recent to join, on 15 May 2026. By committing, a government accepts the principles; each one decides how to apply them in its own policy and law.

Documented benefits or intended effects

The text also gives governments five recommendations: invest in AI research and development; foster an inclusive ecosystem for AI; shape an interoperable governance and policy environment; build human capacity and prepare for changes in the labour market; and cooperate internationally on trustworthy AI. According to the OECD, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United States and the United Nations use its definition of an AI system in their own laws, rules and guidance. In June 2019, at the Osaka summit, leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) welcomed AI principles drawn from this text.

Caveats

An OECD recommendation is a political commitment with no penalties, so results depend on national follow-up. The principles are high level and leave the detailed rules to each government. The OECD’s AI policy website shows an older, lower count of countries; the register of legal instruments is the official list.

Sources

The OECD register of legal instruments and the principles overview.

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