Skip to main content

AI guru Yoshua Bengio says regulation too slow, warns of 'existential' threats

Share
MONTREAL -

Artificial intelligence pioneer Yoshua Bengio says regulation in Canada is on the right path, but advancing along it far too slowly.

Speaking to reporters in Montreal, the Universite de Montreal professor said he backed a bill tabled in the House of Commons last June that adopts a more general, principles-based approach to AI guardrails and leaves details to a later date.

Ottawa has said the act known as Bill C-27 will come into force no sooner than 2025, a timeline Bengio deemed far too slow.

He is calling on the federal government to begin rolling out rules immediately against certain threats, such as the so-called counterfeiting of humans using AI-driven bots.

Addressing a creative business conference Wednesday, Bengio warned that AI systems, including those that incorporate tools from large language models such as ChatGPT, pose an existential risk.

Criticized as vague by some legal experts, the Liberals' Artificial Intelligence and Data Act lays out a framework for responsible AI development that aims for agility amid the technology's constant evolution, while banning malicious use and establishing an oversight body and financial penalties.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ukraine will stop Putin, Biden tells NATO in forceful speech

Joe Biden forcefully defended the foreign policy achievements of his presidency as he welcomed NATO member states to a Washington summit on Tuesday that is being closely watched by allies at home and abroad for proof the embattled U.S. president can still lead.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is pregnant

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served eight and a half years for helping to kill her abusive mother, announced Tuesday that she is set to become a mother herself.

Local Spotlight