REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa

by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here. Once mostly the domain of cautionary science fiction and tech enthusiasts,AI systems have taken off and become mainstream seemingly overnight. DiscussionssurroundingAIhaveexistedforwell over half a century, when noted Computer ScientistAlanTuringtriedtodefinethescopeof what would make a computer “intelligent” by developing theTuringTest.Whatis clear is that the new wave of AI systems has an impact on serious issues like privacy and data collection, surveillance, intellectual property, national security, disinformation, and more, but regulations haven't caught up with the speed in whichthetechnologyismoving.

Individuals and businesses have been adaptingtoAIquickly.ArecentKPMGCanada survey of businesses notes that 37 percent of companies are looking at how to useAI chatbot systems(suchasChatGPT,whichlaunchedonly six months ago) to improve their operations. A similarpercentage,35percent,saytheycurrently use AI in their operations. 40 percent of those using AI are using them in their call centres. Canadian universities are struggling with crafting new AI policies to combat plagiarism and cheating by students using AI chatbots to write essays. Last month, a song that sounds remarkably like Canadian rapper Drake called Heart on my Sleeve was developed using AI, promptingstreamingservicestoremoveitafterit received hundreds of thousands of downloads. Even the Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees has stated that his department has been using AI to speed up immigration processingtimes,althoughhewasquicktostate thattheyarenotusedforapplicationapprovals.

AI certainly has its advantages. It can help speed up work processes. It can help perform complicated tasks that would require a comparably large amount of manpower, such as complexdataanalysis.Itcanreducehumanerror. Agoodexamplewouldbeameteorologistusing AI systems to examine weather patterns and gettingamoreaccuratepictureofforecaststhan we are generally used to in the profession. AI systemsmay,inthenearfuture,assistpeoplewith cognitive or language disabilities to better communicate. There is a wealth of applications forAIthatcanactuallybeasignificantbenefitfor society.

However, AI is a new wild frontier that