The federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry is calling on opposition parties to advance the bill to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), which has been under study for two years.
“I deplore the fact that the opposition parties have, for over a year, done everything to slow down the legislative process. But now, I think we have to put partisanship aside and think about the interests of innovators, our businesses, and our citizens,” said François-Philippe Champagne in a press scrum on the sidelines of an event at the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations (CORIM) on Wednesday afternoon.
He took part, together with the European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, in a discussion on technological issues affecting the economy, including AI.
In 2022, the Trudeau government introduced Bill C-27 on the implementation of the Digital Charter. It aims to create three new laws, including one on AI and data. The other two deal with consumer privacy protection and the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal.
The legislation is currently being studied by the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology. “We are currently looking at the type of amendment to Bill C-27 that we could accommodate with the opposition parties,” said the Liberal MP.
According to him, it is necessary for the bill to move forward. “It is in the best interests of Canada. Because if we want to move from fear to opportunity, we have to build trust. Trust comes with a series of rules,” he maintained, adding that innovation will then come out on top.
In his eyes, time is running out for the adoption of legislation surrounding AI, a technology that is developing rapidly.
“Today, there are many decisions that are made by algorithms for which it is very unclear for citizens and consumers. So, we need to regulate all of this now because at the speed it is going, it worries me,” said Mr. Champagne.
“This is not a political issue, this is not a partisan issue. This is a societal issue. Especially with the arrival of ChatGPT, it seems like time has accelerated for all countries to adopt legislation,” he continued.
The future law aims, among other things, to establish a commissioner for artificial intelligence and data. Companies would also be held accountable for how they develop and use AI technologies. They would have to be more transparent with the public.
If the bill succeeds in obtaining royal assent, Canada would be among the first jurisdictions in the world, along with the European Union, to have regulations governing AI, Mr. Champagne indicated.