Guidelines For Government Procurement Of AI In Canada – Government, Public Sector

The World Economic Forum published its overview of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) procurement last month: see our blog on its toolkit and the UK’s
related guidelines. Canada does not yet have a
similar guidance. However, steps are being taken to address
emerging technologies, such as AI and the role these can play
in government procurement. The Treasury Board’s “AI Procurement for a Digital World” sets
out high-level process guidelines to “eliminate bias, be open
about how AI is informing decisions, and ensure potential benefits
are weighed against unintended results.”

The Canadian Federal Government has also published its
commitment to the “Responsible use of AI“. The
Government’s Guiding Principles for the “Responsible Use of Artificial
Intelligence” are meant to guide the Government in the
effective and ethical use of AI. The Guiding Principles
Include:

• understand and
  measure the impact of using AI by developing and sharing
  tools and approaches




• be transparent about
  how and when we are using AI, starting with a clear user need and
  public benefit




• provide meaningful
  explanations about AI decision making, while also offering
  opportunities to review results and challenge these decisions




• be as open as we can
  by sharing source code, training data, and other relevant
  information, all while protecting personal information, system
  integration, and national security and defence




• provide sufficient
  training so that government employees developing and using
  AI solutions have the responsible design, function, and
  implementation skills needed to make AI-based public services
  better

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