An Ontario cabinet minister is calling on the federal government to enact “an all-out ban on AI deepfakes and impersonations.” Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford wrote an open letter to his federal counterpart on Tuesday calling for “steep fines and jail time” for anyone who uses new artificial intelligence tools “to scam or harm Canadians.” The request comes after a Sault St. Marie, Ont. woman told CTV News last month that she lost $900,000 after stumbling upon a deepfake video of Prime Minister Mark Carney promoting a cryptocurrency platform that turned out to be fake. CTV News also spoke with an Acton, Ont. woman in July who lost $83,000 to a similar scam involving another deepfake video of Carney. “We are urging the federal government to enact an all-out ban on AI deepfakes and impersonations, which can lead to significant harms for vulnerable populations, including children and seniors,” Crawford said in his letter. “Anyone who uses these new tools to scam or harm Canadians deserves to face steep fines and jail time.” Crawford said in his letter that AI represents “one of the most significant economic opportunities for Ontario,” with the potential to add $122 billion to the province’s GDP by 2035 and create an average of 17,600 new jobs annually. But he said that governments must “put strong safeguards in place to protect consumer data and privacy in this new digital landscape.” Crawford said that while “Ontario is ready to support this work in any way” it can, it does not have jurisdiction over criminal law and must rely on the federal government “to take additional steps to build trust among Canadians in emerging AI technologies.” “As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, it is more important than ever that governments work together to capitalize on new opportunities while safeguarding the security of our country and its citizens,” he said.
