This text is part of the special Scientific Francophonie notebook
Funded by the Quebec Research Fund, the brand new Quebec Research Chair in French-speaking artificial intelligence and digital technology wants to look into the effects of these technologies on French culture and language.
“There are many things that have been written about AI, but neither in the French-speaking world nor internationally has there been the desire to set up a project around the cultural issues” linked to its development, says Jonathan Roberge, professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research and co-holder of the chair. “This raises a set of questions about the capacities for appropriation, the digital literacy of citizens and the supervision of this development,” adds professor in the Department of Social and Public Communication at UQAM Destiny Tchéhouali, who is also co-holder of the pulpit.
Researchers believe that with the adoption of artificial intelligence becoming widespread and technological advances accelerating, it is high time to update the work and reflections on Quebec’s adaptation to digital challenges, in order to support society and decision-makers in these upheavals emanating from Silicon Valley. “These technologies come from the United States. To what extent are they adapted or could they be adapted to the Quebec context? » asks Mr. Roberge.
Know to find better
The work of the chair, which obtained funding last May, will focus on three areas. The first will focus on the Quebec AI ecosystem and take stock of Quebec scientific production on AI and digital technology.
The AI industries and their leading figures occupy an important place in Quebec, “but they are called upon to enter into a certain form of tension with another very strong industry in Quebec and which is part of our identity: the AI industry cultural,” explains Mr. Roberge. As more and more white-collar workers and creatives feel threatened by AI, Quebec society risks experiencing a shock, whether in the literary, musical world or in the TV and cinema industries. and dubbing, he continues. “It’s going to affect a lot of jobs. Are we ready to face these challenges? »
The co-owners and their team of around ten researchers and around thirty partners also want to look into the challenges of discoverability of French-speaking culture. “AI is establishing itself as a new culture,” notes Mr. Tchéhouali. In addition to seeing the market flooded with content produced by generative AI, French-speaking and Quebec culture is struggling to be seen on major transnational digital platforms like YouTube or Netflix. “It’s one thing for content to be available and findable, it’s another for it to be recommended. Recommending one content means excluding others,” he explains. The chair team will examine these trends and design indicators to meet the needs of cultural partners.
Supervise and regulate
“Once we try to decipher and understand linguistic cultural biases in order to combat them, how can we supervise and regulate? » evokes Destiny Tchéhouali. This dimension of public policies will constitute the third research axis of the chair. The work will examine laws and regulatory needs at the provincial, national and international levels. “The response to these AI development logics cannot come from isolated states,” underlines Mr. Tchéhouali.
The teachers want to offer a real form of scientific support. “We don’t just want to be scientists who observe from a distance, we want to co-construct with stakeholders in the field to be able to face changes, adapt to them and build things in terms of public policies that will be Quebecois,” says Jonathan Roberge .
Catalysts, unifiers, enlighteners: researchers would like their work to support the debate so that laws are based on real challenges. “Our research will tackle technological, industrial and scientific challenges, as well as economic ones (linked to the business model), impacts on society and culture and political and regulatory challenges. It’s all connected,” summarizes Mr. Tchéhouali.
All over the world, different linguistic communities are slowly waking up to this problem: “English is dominant. If we do nothing, it is the question of cultural sovereignty that is threatened, with the homogenization of all forms of knowledge production, culture and creation,” warns the researcher.
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