At Queertech breakfast, AI minister says feds will regulate lightly on innovation and tightly where harms emerge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s AI Minister, Evan Solomon, says that the country\u2019s forthcoming AI regulation will be \u201cairtight\u201d when it comes to bias, racism, and hate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf AI is built around narrow teams and narrow use cases, [by] people with narrow experiences, they will give narrow results.\u201d<\/p>\n
AI Minister Evan Solomon<\/p>\n
Solomon made the remarks at a breakfast hosted by Queertech and the Canadian Queer Chamber of Commerce in downtown Ottawa\u2019s Rideau Club on Tuesday morning. Solomon is in charge of delivering Canada\u2019s refreshed AI strategy<\/a>, which was initially promised<\/a> to drop before the end of 2025 but has been repeatedly delayed<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the breakfast, Solomon said inclusivity can be Canada\u2019s \u201ccompetitive advantage\u201d and revealed some of the government\u2019s intentions for the upcoming AI strategy. Solomon recalled in his address how he got pushback for saying Canada\u2019s AI regulation will be \u201clight, right, and tight<\/a>\u201d early in his ministerial tenure.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing people seize on is \u2018light,\u2019 as if we\u2019re not going to regulate and not going to protect,\u201d Solomon said, adding that the government will regulate \u201clight\u201d where innovation is needed. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be tight when there\u2019s bias, racism, hate; we are going to be airtight, and we\u2019re going to get it right so we can balance that innovation and our values and our protection.\u201d<\/p>\n The minister said inclusion is \u201cnot a word that we toss around in the culture war,\u201d but rather that building with diverse perspectives around the table results in trusted and \u201cpositive\u201d technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf AI is built around narrow teams and narrow use cases, [by] people with narrow experiences, they will give narrow results,\u201d Solomon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: Queer tech founders explore move to Canada as US abandons DEI<\/a><\/p>\n Alongside defending the government\u2019s commitment to diversity both generally and in tech regulation, Solomon revealed some considerations going into the AI strategy, including that the federal government \u201cis looking closely\u201d at the right to deletion<\/a> and algorithmic transparency. Solomon said algorithmic transparency will help determine if there is a built-in bias against marginalized groups, so that systems can be confidently adopted. Studies have shown that algorithmic biases, where systems are not well-trained on datasets representing marginalized groups such as people of colour or members of the LGBTQ+ community, can cause harms like reduced access<\/a> to health care or employment.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not get this [AI] right unless we trust it, and \u2026 if it\u2019s not inclusive, we won\u2019t trust it,\u201d Solomon said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an \u201coff-script\u201d moment, Solomon also recounted his run-ins with \u201ctech bros,\u201d noting how he\u2019s often prioritized in meetings despite being accompanied by more experienced female colleagues. He said that this attitude is \u201cconsequential BS\u201d that drives young women away from STEM careers and other communities away from being entrepreneurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe data of inclusion and the economic contribution is so positive that to ignore it is not just narrow-minded and destructive, it\u2019s just economically stupid,\u201d Solomon said to applause. \u201cCountries that don\u2019t get that are going to lose; our values of inclusion are our competitive advantage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Feature image courtesy Alex Riehl for BetaKit.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At Queertech breakfast, AI minister says feds will regulate lightly on innovation and tightly where harms emerge.
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