Quebec is well-placed to be a leader in AI ethics
After a month of chatter on quotidian language etiquette, it’s uplifting to see Montreal’s avantgarde technologists boosting Quebec’s international credibility by tackling more serious matters, like the future of labour as we know it.
Montreal is among a select group of cities leading in the development of artificial intelligence, and industry actors locally are among a smaller set attempting to develop an ethical framework for the technology.
“In the past two months, we’ve had six new AI labs open in Montreal,” McGill University AI ethics researcher Abhishek Gupta said last weekend. “It makes complete sense we would also be the ones who would help guide the discussion on how to do it ethically.”
Gupta hosts a bimonthly gathering where stakeholders discuss ethical concerns related to the propagation of AI. Last month, he and peers in the field, in conjunction with Université de Montréal, released a working document, the Montreal Declaration for a Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence.
The document seems somewhat reflective of Québécois progressivism, describing the need for machines to “promote the well-being of all sentient creatures” and suggests that the development of AI should promote “informed participation in public life, co-operation and democratic debate,” among other liberal-democratic principles. There’s room for even more input from Quebecers, particularly as it relates to AI’s impact on the workforce.
While influential union leaders can sometimes be disruptive and they retain disproportionate political capital, Quebec’s forceful labour culture is the perfect counterweight to the potentially devastating economic impact of widespread AI implementation.
The inevitable transition to a labour economy that will rely mainly on machines must be carefully executed and tightly regulated. The
In the past two months, we’ve had six new AI labs open in Montreal.
automation of workforces could bring with it a sharp rise in unemployment. The mass elimination of working-class jobs could starve government of income tax revenue.
Lack of foresight in implementing AI could also lead to serious social tension, even violence. The Quebec government has some experience keeping such conflicts under control, as in the case of Uber.
The popular ride-sharing app relies on a form of AI technology to match drivers with rideseekers. In the wake of its launch in Montreal, taxi drivers and their union representatives were quick to mobilize. They snarled traffic and some angry cabbies pelted snow balls at Uber drivers. It took a while, but a temporary compromise has now been found. However, the gradual phasing out of driving as a profession will only exacerbate these tensions, and governments worldwide must be prepared to weather the storm and transition workers to new fields.
Quebec unions have inspired or directly supported many social causes that have proven to be at least somewhat productive. One such cause is the student revolt of 2012, where tens of thousands of students poured into the streets to denounce tuition increases. In the years that followed, Montreal would go on to become an AI hub, making accessible higher education and a competent workforce a key factor in attracting international investment.
“Canada, compared to other parts of the world, has a different set of values that are more oriented toward ensuring everybody’s wellness,” argued Doina Precup, who heads Google’s DeepMind AI operation here.
Quebec’s often having acted as Canada’s progressive conscience helps it make a strong case to host an international AI body, one that could play a role similar to those of the Montreal-based international agencies that concern themselves with air travel or doping in sport.
For Quebec to become that leader in tech ethics, however, its politicians must abandon the sort of language-based identity politics that cosmopolitan millennials in emerging fields find so distasteful. Keeping the collective eye on the prize in an election year, unfortunately, may be a tall order.