On September 16, 2024, the President of the Treasury Board of Canada launched public consultations on Canada’s first artificial intelligence (AI) strategy (AI Strategy) for the federal public service. The goal of this phase of the consultation process is to seek input from Canadians on the appropriate use of AI within the federal government.
Earlier phases of the Government’s AI Strategy consultation process started in May 2024 at a roundtable with AI experts and leaders in academia, Canada’s private sector and public sector. Feedback was also received from representatives of civil society and Indigenous communities.
Based on the feedback collected so far, the Government of Canada developed the following four principles that will guide its approach to adopting and using AI:
- Human Centered: focusing on the needs of the Government of Canada’s clients and employees when deciding to adopt AI, including improving service quality for clients and ensuring AI increases what public services employees can do, rather than using AI to reduce the number of employees
- Collaborative: working together with key stakeholders to develop appropriate AI policies and guidelines, including cooperating with Indigenous Canadian partners, other Canadian and international jurisdictions, and Government of Canada colleagues
- Ready: ensuring that the proper infrastructure, tools, and policies are in place for safe, secure, and successful AI adoption
- Trusted: developing and clearly communicating information on the Government of Canada’s use of AI so that its clients and public servants are aware of this information and can trust that AI is being used in a responsible, ethical, safe, and secure manner
The Government is now seeking feedback from Canadians on the four proposed principles, as well as input on potential priority areas for AI use, types of AI the Government should avoid, and areas where AI should not be implemented.
The public consultation will run from September 16 to October 31, 2024. For more details on how to participate, please see here.
Summary By: Victoria Di Felice
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