The Canadian government has established the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) to conduct research on the security risks associated with artificial intelligence. This institute is part of the government’s larger strategy to address the potential misuse of AI in areas such as disinformation, cybersecurity breaches, and election interference.
CAISI is allocated an initial budget of $50 million over five years and will be overseen by the Innovation Department. The government’s overall AI development strategy, outlined in Budget 2024, aims to enhance safety in AI technologies. The government reports a significant increase in the number of AI professionals in the country, reaching over 140,000 in 2022-23.
There is growing concern about the use of AI by threat actors, particularly those backed by countries like China, Russia, and Iran, to target Canadian individuals and interfere with democratic processes. For instance, there was a “spamouflage” campaign linked to China in 2023 that targeted Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre. This campaign utilized AI, including deepfake videos, to spread propaganda.
Executives from companies like Google and X testified before the House of Commons Ethics Committee, highlighting China as a major source of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns in Canada. Lindsay Hundley from Meta emphasized the global scale of Chinese operations, which target diverse audiences and employ various tactics, including AI-generated content to appear more legitimate.
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