The federal government has introduced new guidelines for employees who want to use artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT on the job to ensure the technology is being used responsibly, says Treasury Board President Anita Anand.
Anand said the government also will be monitoring the way AI is being used to guard against potential problems like bias or discrimination.
“As a racialized woman myself, I am very conscious about the potential for bias to creep into decision making,” she told CBC News. “I will say that the purpose of these guidelines is to ensure responsible use of generative AI and we will be monitoring to ensure that bias does not creep in if employees do go down the road to use generative AI.”
Anand said theguidelines, which complement the existing directive to government departments on artificial intelligence, provide preliminary guidance to employees and will be updated as needed. While there are currently no penalties for violating the new guidelines, Anand said they are based on existing legislation such as the Privacy Act that could trigger a penalty.
“The legal obligation continues to remain on all employees regardless of these guidelines,” Anand said. “The guidelines are on top of those existing obligations.”
While the Treasury Board’s guidelines for generative AI recommend that federal institutions explore ways to use these tools, it also warns of risks — including cybersecurity threats, bias, violations of privacy and inaccurate information.
The guidelines define generative AI as technology that “produces content such as text, audio, code, videos and images” for things like chatbots, e-mails, briefing notes, research or programming. The guidelines recommend caution when using AI for things like public communications on social media or automating “assessments, recommendations or decisions about clients.”
If a department uses generative AI to respond to a citizen, answer questions via a chatbot, create a document or make a decision, it should be transparent about using the technology, the guidelines say.
Departments should “identify content that has been produced using generative AI, notify users that they are interacting with an AI tool, document decisions and be able to provide explanations if tools are used to support decision-making,” the guidelines say.
The government’s new rules on generative AI are “not about replacing employees at all,” says Treasury Board President Anita Anand. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Anand said the government is issuing the guidelines now because “the public service is at the initial stages in recognizing the importance of AI.”
“These guidelines that we have issued will make sure that employees are aware of not using private or secret information, making sure that content is factual, making sure that we are transparent about its use, and making sure that we’re complying with laws and policies as well.”
It’s not about eliminating jobs: Anand
Anand said the government isn’t adopting AI in a bid to eliminate jobs.
“This is not about replacing employees at all,” Anand said. “This use of generative AI is as a tool to further the work of existing and future employees.”
Jennifer Carr is president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), whose members include government computer experts. She said her union has not been consulted on the guidelines or decisions by departments to introduce new AI tools or systems.
Carr said the government’s new generative AI guidelines need some work.
“It only proposes that the government ‘be careful’ on how they use AI,” Carr said. “‘Be careful’ is a very subjective term. What we’re really looking for is that there are strict regulations or guidelines, where there are go and no-go zones.”
Ottawa’s AI guidelines will address privacy, transparency: Anand
Treasury Board President Anita Anand explains how the government is using artificial intelligence tools and why it has issued guidelines for how employees should — and shouldn’t — use generative AI.
Carr said the government guidelines should indicate whether AI is the best tool for a given job.
“AI has enormous potential when it comes to synthesizing scientific data. Things that we had to do by hand can be done in nanoseconds by computers using AI,” she said.
“But if somebody is cut off of a benefit because there’s no human interface, that’s where we get concerned.”
If some jobs are going to be replaced by AI, the government should “upskill” the employees who occupy those jobs and train them in new areas, Carr said.
Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says AI should enhance public service jobs – not replace them. (Jane Sponagle/CBC)
Chris Aylward, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said unions and workers should be consulted when the government wants to start using artificial intelligence tools or systems.
“Any automation or use of artificial intelligence should enhance workers’ jobs and working conditions and not replace them,” he said in a media statement.
“We are pleased to see the government include best practices designed to mitigate this,” he wrote. “The government must ensure these best practices are upheld, including providing ongoing training to users so they can identify biased or discriminatory content generated by AI.”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
