The federal government must move urgently to regulate artificial intelligence, says a top AI pioneer, warning the technologyB次元官网网址檚 current trajectory poses major societal risks.

Yoshua Bengio, dubbed a B次元官网网址済odfatherB次元官网网址� of AI, told members of Parliament Monday that Ottawa should put a law in place immediately, even if that legislation is not perfect.

The scientific director at Mila, the Quebec AI Institute, says a B次元官网网址渟uperhumanB次元官网网址� intelligence that is as smart as a human being could be developed within the next two decades B次元官网网址� or even the next few years.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not ready,B次元官网网址� Bengio said.

One short-term risk of AI is the use of deepfake videos to spread disinformation, he said. They use AI to make it look as though a public figure is saying something they didnB次元官网网址檛, or doing something that never happened.

The technology can also be used to interact with people through text or dialogue B次元官网网址渋n a way that can fool a social-media user and make them change their mind on political questions,B次元官网网址� said Bengio.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 real concern about use of AI in politically oriented ways that go against the principles of our democracy.B次元官网网址�

A year or two down the road, the worry is that more-advanced systems can be used for cyberattacks.

AI systems are getting better and better at programming.

B次元官网网址淲hen these systems get strong enough to defeat our current cyber defences and our industrial digital infrastructure, we are in trouble,B次元官网网址� Bengio said.

B次元官网网址淓specially if these systems fall in the wrong hands.B次元官网网址�

The House of Commons industry committee where Bengio testified Monday is studying a Liberal government bill that would update privacy law and begin regulating some artificial intelligence systems.

The bill as itB次元官网网址檚 drafted would give the government time to develop regulations, but Bengio says some provisions should take effect right away.

B次元官网网址淲ith the current approach, it would take something like two years before enforcement (is) possible,B次元官网网址� he said.

One of the initial rules he said he wants to see implemented is a registry that would require systems with a specified level of capability to report to the government.

Bengio said that would put the responsibility and cost of demonstrating safety on large tech companies developing these systems, rather than on taxpayers.

Bill C-27 was first drafted in 2022 to target what are described as B次元官网网址渉igh-impactB次元官网网址� AI systems.

Bengio said the government should change the legislationB次元官网网址檚 definition of B次元官网网址渉igh-impactB次元官网网址� to include technology that poses national security and societal threats.

That could include any AI systems that bad actors could use to design dangerous cyberattacks and weapons, or systems that find ways to self-replicate despite programming instructions to the contrary.

Generative AI systems like ChatGPT, which can create text, images and videos, emerged for widespread public use after the bill was first introduced.

The government says it plans to amend the legislation to reflect that.

Liberals say they aim to require companies beyond such systems to take steps ensuring the content they create is identifiable as AI-generated.

Bengio said itB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渧ery important to cover general-purpose AI systems because theyB次元官网网址檙e also the ones that could be the most dangerous if misused.B次元官网网址�

Catherine R茅gis, a professor at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, also said at the committee meeting Monday that the government needs to act urgently, citing recent B次元官网网址渕eteoric developments in AI, which weB次元官网网址檙e all familiar with.B次元官网网址�

Speaking in French, she pointed out that AI regulation is a global effort, and Canada must figure out what to do at the national level if it wants to have a voice.

B次元官网网址淒ecisions will be taken on a global scale thatB次元官网网址檒l have an impact on all countries,B次元官网网址� she said.

Establishing a clear and solid vision at the Canadian level is B次元官网网址渙ne of the essential conditions to play a credible structuring and influential role in global governance.B次元官网网址�

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