AI safety advocates say bill a good 'first step' on regulation, but more needed

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a screen showing part of the company website in this photo taken on Nov. 21, 2023 in New York. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Peter Morgan

A pair of artificial intelligence safety advocates say the federal government’s new chatbot legislation is a good first step.

But Wyatt Tessari L’Allié — of Artificial Intelligence Governance and Safety Canada — says the digital safety bill’s effectiveness depends heavily on how the details are worked out.

And B.C. computer science professor Kevin Leyton-Brown says Ottawa will need to go further to address AI’s sycophantic behaviour.

Bill C-34, introduced June 10 in the House of Commons, would regulate the companies behind AI chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act responsibly.

It includes measures to lower the risk of chatbots communicating harmful content and crisis intervention protocols for cases involving self-harm, suicide or violence.

Kristie Carrier, who is suing OpenAI after the death of her daughter by suicide, says the federal government’s bill is long overdue.

With files from Anja Karadeglija.

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press