Canada to Explore AI Integration in Federal Public Service

In a move echoing the private sector’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence, the Canadian federal government is crafting a strategy to incorporate AI into its public service operations. This initiative could soon see Canadians interacting with AI-assisted employees when accessing government services.

Stephen Burt, Canada’s chief data officer, noted that AI chatbots, already utilized in private-sector call centers, help navigate data and provide quicker, more accurate responses to customer inquiries. “I can imagine a number of similar applications in the Canadian government context for services we offer to clients, from Employment Insurance (EI) and Old Age Security to immigration processes,” Burt stated.

Beyond customer service, AI could streamline internal government functions by managing and analyzing large volumes of data. In departments like the Treasury Board of Canada, where employees oversee finances, hiring, and technology, AI could help decipher extensive documentation and identify relevant information more efficiently.

The government aims to develop and launch this AI strategy by March next year. The approach encourages experimentation within departments to identify effective use cases. “We can’t do everything at once, and it’s not clear to me yet what the best-use cases will be,” Burt said, indicating a phased and exploratory approach.

While the full scope of AI integration is still under consideration, Burt acknowledged the need for caution in certain areas. Generative AI, capable of producing text and images from large datasets, will be scrutinized to ensure appropriate application.

AI is not entirely new to the Canadian public service. Joanna Redden, an associate professor at Western University, has documented hundreds of government AI uses, ranging from predicting tax case outcomes and processing visa applications to environmental monitoring and wildlife detection.

However, lessons can be drawn from the European Union, where AI legislation bans certain applications, including untargeted image scraping for facial recognition, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, social scoring, and some predictive policing practices.

At an introductory event for the AI strategy in May, Treasury Board President Anita Anand assured that generative AI would generally not be used for confidential matters, such as information restricted to cabinet ministers.

University of Ottawa law professor Teresa Scassa highlighted the need to update Canada’s privacy legislation to address AI integration adequately. The current Privacy Act, she noted, “really hasn’t been adapted to an information society, let alone the AI context.” Concerns include the potential for generative AI to handle personal or confidential information inappropriately.

Scassa also raised questions about accountability, especially if an AI system provides incorrect information. “Somebody might just decide to start answering emails using generative AI. How do you deal with that? And what kind of information is going into the system, and who’s checking it?” she asked.

Despite these challenges, Concordia University associate professor Fenwick McKelvey supports the federal government exploring AI integration, given its status as Canada’s largest employer. The AI strategy aims to harness the technology’s potential to enhance efficiency and service delivery while addressing privacy and ethical considerations comprehensively.

As the federal government moves forward with its AI strategy, Canadians can anticipate a more technologically integrated public service, with a focus on improving efficiency and service quality while maintaining strict oversight and ethical standards.