Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used the AI Action Summit in France to warn against what he says are dangerous uses of this technology that people are worried about – including, but not limited to, “cunning disinformation.”
With a directly opposing view of the US Vice President JD Vance, other instances of “misuses” of AI Trudeau spoke about are the possibility it may result in driving citizens “further towards cynicism, populism, hopelessness, and hatred.” And his remedy is to have governments and the private sector team up and take action along with civil society, to deal with these presumed harms.
Not least because of his track record, one way of interpreting what Trudeau is describing, and the direction of the push he is making towards tighter control of the tech (with governments and private companies enmeshed) – is to make sure AI’s use is curtailed when it comes to expressing dissenting viewpoints that are slated for censorship.
“Governments and businesses are facing new challenges, new disruptions, but also new opportunities,” he said, adding, “That’s why the path forward must be working together with like-minded partners as we maintain the competition that is healthy for innovation, but keeping in mind the requirements to keep people safe.”
Trudeau repeatedly played the wealth inequality card to drum up support for this approach to future AI development, asserting that unless done “the right” way, it would create a greater divide “between the haves, the have-nots, and the have-yachts.”
More attempts at garnering backing for his “vision” by invoking social issues are made when Trudeau speaks about the middle class needing to be that segment of society that benefits the most from AI, instead of “only the rich”; he also mentioned that positive effects from incorporating the technology into everyday life and the economy should be “equally shared” and enjoyed by workers and small and medium-sized firms.
The Canadian PM is resolute that in order to avoid what he sees as the worst outcome and at the same time allow what he considers to be the good sides of AI to flourish, the situation must be under (government) control – AI can impact the world positively, he said, “but only if we choose to shape it that way.”
But he at the same time made the obligatory nod to the need to avoid “too heavy-handed” legislation around AI – so as not to stifle innovation. Trudeau used this point to reiterate his ideas about “partnerships” between governments, companies, researchers, etc.
