Finance Commission President Anita Anand said the federal government would work to prevent artificial intelligence from discriminating against people applying for jobs in the federal sector.
In a wide-ranging year-end interview with CBC News, Anand acknowledged concerns about the use of AI tools in recruitment.
“There is no question that individual privacy must always be respected in accordance with privacy laws and employment practices must be non-discriminatory and have a built-in sense of equality,” Anand said in response to a question. He said: Use of AI in government recruitment processes.
“Certainly, as a racialized woman, I feel this very deeply… We need to ensure that the use of AI in the workplace… complies with existing laws and is ethical. It must be able to withstand the challenges of being promiscuous.”
Some government departments are starting to incorporate AI tools into their hiring processes. In response to a question from NDP MP Matthew Green, the Department of Defense announced that it was using an AI-driven skills assessment tool with “hundreds of pre-recorded job interviews to reduce bias and promote fairness in the hiring process.” I used Knockri.” . ”
“Knockri uses machine learning to analyze the audio-to-text content of candidates’ responses and compares them to determined performance metrics,” the agency wrote.
It comes less than a month after a Radio-Canada investigation found that several government departments had purchased technology that could be used to extract data from cell phones and computers issued to employees. Anand told CBC News.
Mr. Anand rejected any suggestion that the government was using spyware on its employees.
“This is only used if there is an investigation or if we believe something is wrong,” Anand said. “It’s not used on a daily basis.”
Government guidelines on AI
In September, Anand announced new guidelines for civil servants who want to use generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT in their work. At the time, the government said it would monitor how AI is used to prevent potential problems such as bias and discrimination.
Still, Global Affairs was forced to apologize last week after posting an AI-generated photo depicting an Inuit woman on its social media account.
Anand said Global Affairs could have used tools developed by the Treasury Department to guide employees and departments, such as AI guidelines and the Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) process.
“This is a perfect situation to use the algorithmic impact assessment tools I mentioned,” she said. “The AIA tool is a series of questions that should be asked when AI is being used in the workplace. These questions should reflect legal, policy and ethical considerations. I am.”
Anand also said he wants to close gaps in Canada’s regulations regarding the long-term use of AI.
“There is no question that AI is a transformative technology,” she says. “The other thing that I’m looking at is actually long-term, because that requires us to ask how we think about broader regulation.
“For example, with the advent of autonomous machines such as self-driving cars, we have to ask ourselves whether the regulations we are putting in place are appropriate and applicable in the long term.”
Treasury Board Governor Anita Anand has issued guidelines on how the government is using artificial intelligence tools and how employees should and should not use generative AI. Let me explain why.
Anand said that even as the federal government considers using AI-driven tools, Canadians should always have the option to speak to an actual civil servant.
“You always have to have a phone number ready so you can talk to a live person,” she says. “That’s fundamentally important. I don’t think individual workers should be affected in any way by employment. We need strong people.”
The federal government is moving to adopt a framework for the use of AI in federally regulated businesses through Bill C-27, which is currently before committee. Mr. Anand was noncommittal when asked whether the law should also apply to federal departments and Crown corporations.
“The aim is to ensure that, from the perspective of the Treasury Committee, we can also address the need for guidelines on artificial intelligence. And of course Bill C-27 does that for the wider economy. ” she said. “But as you know, many companies look to the Canadian government for best practices, and the field of artificial intelligence is no exception.”
One of Anand’s biggest projects planned for next year is aging technology used by governments to deliver benefits such as Old Age Security (OAS), the Canada Pension Plan, and Employment Insurance (EI). This is a large-scale initiative to completely review the
Anand said the government first transferred 600,000 foreign OAS recipients to the new platform in June. He said the government would launch the second phase of the program next year to improve the delivery of OAS and EI payments.
“Research shows there is a direct correlation between the trust people have in their government. [and] Anand said, “We therefore expect to see tangible progress in replacing the 45-year-old system.”
