Want the federal government to hear your thoughts on AI? New consultation launched

A number of human rights groups and advocates have launched what they call a "people's consultation" on the use of artificial intelligence, which will be delivered to the federal government as it mulls its first national AI strategy.

The feds, led by AI Minister Evan Solomon, are examining the increasing use of artificial intelligence as they develop legislation on the issue.

But over 160 signatories of an open letter, including a number of civil libertarians, unions and academics, have criticized the federally-convened AI task force — saying that its membership skews too heavily towards the tech industry and AI proponents.

The groups have said that the government's own public consultation on the issue, which lasted for a month last October, was rushed and not accommodative of varied concerns around AI.

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That's why they launched their own public consultation on the issue, which is set to last until March 15 and be publicly posted on a website, in addition to being shared with the feds.

"We basically didn't feel like we had a choice. We saw the process the government set up in October, with this mad 30-day rush, which is barely any time," said Cynthia Khoo, a technology and human rights lawyer.

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She said that many of the human rights groups and NGOs behind the consultation are set to be the most impacted by increasing use of AI.

"It didn't really seem like a fair fight when you put them next to, you know, these multibillion technology companies who are chomping at the bit just to adopt [AI] all the way and without any regulatory guardrails," said Khoo, who is a senior fellow at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

Labour concerns

Aislin Jackson, policy staff counsel at the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said the federal government's task force lacked members with expertise in labour and environmental concerns as they relate to AI.

She said that generative AI tools, like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, can have quick and disproportionate effects on people's lives.

"They will touch almost every area of people's lives, and they do so in a way that's complex and not obvious at first glance," she said.

"Complex areas need to be understood in their full complexity in order to be regulated well and appropriately."

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Among the various concerns highlighted by Jackson is the use of artificial intelligence in hiring decisions.

The lawyer says that AI tools are only as good as the data they're trained on, and that data can reflect unconscious biases that make life difficult for jobseekers.

"There's a very real risk that what's happening right now ... is that private employers are using these algorithms to help them make hiring decisions, and that inadvertently they're introducing discrimination and bias into that process through inadequately tailored models," she said.

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Khoo also said that the prioritization of AI data centres risks burdening nearby communities with high energy bills, due to their generally power-hungry nature.

"With all this talk of Canadian digital sovereignty, is anyone stopping to ask, well, what is that supposed to mean compared to Indigenous digital sovereignty or Indigenous sovereignty?" she asked.

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Khoo added that the consultation isn't simply looking for input from those who are experts in AI, but encourages groups of people to get together and discuss the issue when crafting a submission.

A spokesperson for the AI and Digital Innovation Ministry said that the feds' official public questionnaire was only one avenue in which input was being gathered.

"In addition to public submissions, the government sought advice through the independent AI task force, targeted roundtables, informal stakeholder discussions, and ongoing engagement with civil society organizations, researchers, labour representatives, industry, and other partners," the spokesperson said.

They added that work continues on the national AI strategy, and all input was being carefully reviewed by officials.