INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PRINCIPLES AND DIRECTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the international legal framework of humanity's movement towards a digital circular economic model, in particular, the definition and application of artificial intelligence in the development of a circular economy. The author draws attention to one of the Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030, defined at the regular session of the UN General Assembly in 2015 – "responsible consumption and production" and to its further implementation in international legal acts (UN General Assembly Resolutions) dedicated to the implementation of artificial intelligence and waste-free production. The article pays special attention to examples of national and regional levels of transition countries to a circular economy and the role of artificial intelligence in this process. In particular, the legal practice of the EU on the way to a digital circular economic model and the practice of individual European countries are analyzed in a historical retrospective. The author emphasizes that within the framework of the implementation of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Union has identified digital technologies as a key tool for the transition to a circular economy, and one of the most important digital tools that has been normatively established at the EU level is the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which will become mandatory for most product groups from 2030. In 2024, the Council of Europe adopted the first comprehensive, legally binding document - the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence to determine the legal status of artificial intelligence. The article identifies: Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, the United States and Australia as leading countries in implementing innovations in the circular economy, which have achieved the highest rates of investment, patents and jobs in circular sectors of the economy and have relevant regulatory and legal acts in this area. The article also identifies and characterizes the main areas of application of artificial intelligence in a circular economy. The author pays due attention to global examples of the application of artificial intelligence in the circular economy, innovations and startups in this area that are beginning to be implemented, and the prospects for their development.