The Canadian government has introduced a draft bill in Parliament aimed at regulating AI chatbots. This move comes in the wake of growing public pressure following a tragic shooting at a school last February that resulted in the deaths of nine people. The primary suspect in that case was found to have sent violent messages via ChatGPT, and OpenAI admitted it did not notify law enforcement about these suspicious communications, sparking widespread outrage across Canada. Against this backdrop, the government presented the new legislation on Wednesday.
The bill proposes establishing a new digital regulatory authority. Additionally, Canada is following Australia’s example by planning to impose restrictions on social media use for children under 16 years of age. Under the proposed law, AI chatbots would be required to reduce the risk to users seeking harmful content. Moreover, in cases involving sensitive topics such as suicide, chatbots must immediately provide a ‘crisis intervention’ service.
Mark Miller, Canada’s Minister of Identity and Culture, stated that the government has taken this step to make social media and AI chatbots safer. He explained that violent content was flagged on the account of the 18-year-old suspect involved in the sorrowful incident at Tumbler Ridge School in British Columbia. However, the company failed to report this to authorities, which Minister Miller described as a serious humanitarian error by OpenAI.
It is important to note that this proposed legislation will not apply to private messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Signal. Nonetheless, educators and legal experts have expressed dissatisfaction with the bill, warning that it contains loopholes and will take a significant amount of time to be fully implemented. Ivan Light, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, voiced doubts about the bill’s practical effectiveness and noted that internet restrictions can be easily bypassed using VPNs.
Technology companies have offered varied responses to the legislation. A Meta spokesperson indicated that banning social media could have negative repercussions, while Google committed to working with the government to ensure children’s online safety. TikTok emphasized its existing safety settings on its platform, which parents can manage through ‘Family Pairing.’ OpenAI has apologized for failing to notify Canadian authorities in a timely manner.
