Public Consultation on AI Strategy — Canada
Last Updated on February 23, 2025 by Editorial Team
Author(s): Cezary Gesikowski
Originally published on Towards AI.
Canada’s AI Strategy for Public Service: Balancing Innovation with Ethics
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Artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms how governments function, promising increased efficiency, improved service delivery, and enhanced decision-making. But alongside these opportunities come significant ethical, social, and economic challenges. In an effort to navigate this complex landscape, the Government of Canada undertook an extensive consultation process from April to October 2024 to shape its first comprehensive AI strategy for the federal public service.
This strategy is not just about adopting AI — it’s about ensuring that AI serves all Canadians fairly, transparently, and sustainably. The consultation process gathered insights from over 300 participants, including AI experts, policymakers, Indigenous organizations, labour unions, civil society groups, and everyday citizens. The outcome? A clear message: Canadians want AI to enhance government services, but they demand that it be implemented with caution, accountability, and human oversight.
This article breaks down the consultation’s key findings, focusing on four strategic pillars: Human-Centred, Collaborative, Ready, and Trusted AI. It also highlights the most intriguing insights that emerged, from ethical oversight to sustainable AI adoption.
A fundamental principle is at the heart of Canada’s AI strategy: AI must serve people, not replace them.
Participants broadly agreed that… Read the full blog for free on Medium.
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