The Quebec Innovation Council (CIQ) will be responsible for examining the ethical issues of the development of artificial intelligence (AI), said Tuesday the Minister of Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon.
Mr. Fitzgibbon will give more details on Wednesday on the mandate that will be entrusted to this body, whose role is to advise the government and other actors on innovation.
“The CIQ will consult the stakeholders,” said the minister in the parliamentary committee. Several people raised their hands to contribute to the debate. The CIQ will solicit people’s opinions in a non-partisan way. »
Governance, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in state missions, employment and investment, will be among the topics discussed.
Mr. Fitzgibbon said the sectors where AI should play a role are health, education and business productivity.
The president of the CIQ, Luc Sirois, will submit a report to the government once its work is completed.
The Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital, Éric Caire will also have a role to play regarding governance issues.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Fitzgibbon had invited Mr. Cairo, representatives of the opposition and experts from the artificial intelligence sector to discuss the means to be implemented to avoid slippages linked to this technology.
The mandate that will be entrusted to the CIQ follows this meeting.
Letter
Questioned Tuesday by Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin, Mr. Fitzgibbon said that a parliamentary committee could then take up the subject.
“I am not against a parliamentary commission and a mandate of initiative, he said. But you have to filter. »
At the end of March, Quebec researcher Yoshua Bengio co-signed a letter in which a six-month moratorium is requested from artificial intelligence laboratories. Governments were also invited to work on an AI governance system.
Mr Fitzgibbon said the letter had raised concerns about possible slippages in the use of artificial intelligence.
“People who may have read the letter got anxious, rightly because it wasn’t clear. Let’s simplify the procedure, let’s frame it, let’s explain what is at stake, ”he explained.
Mr. Beauchemin, for his part, insisted on the importance of addressing the impact of artificial intelligence on employment. In particular, he cited figures from the investment bank Goldman Sachs indicating that 300 million jobs could disappear or be affected by artificial intelligence.
“There are certain places that are subject to being targeted by the enforcement [de la technologie]like assembly lines, it’s quite a real threat,” he said.
Mr. Fitzgibbon acknowledged that the impact of artificial intelligence on the robotization and digitization of certain jobs will have to be well explained. According to him, the effect will be mitigated by the shortage of labor and the decline in demography.
“Fortunately, we are in an environment where the pressure on employment is such that people see it favourably. The question is going to be the transition. There are positions, blue collar for example, there is a training and transition issue. »