Should online harms bill cover AI chatbots? Ottawa’s advisory group mixed

Some of the experts Ottawa has tasked with giving it direction on the upcoming online harms bill say the legislation should cover AI chatbots.

Three of the experts on the 11-member panel say the bill should regulate AI chatbots, though opinion on the idea of age restrictions on access to social media is more varied.

Those are two key issues the government is considering as it develops promised legislation to improve online safety.

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In March, it reconvened an expert group it previously consulted on an earlier iteration of that bill, which did not become law before last year’s election was called.

Since then, safety issues linked to artificial intelligence-based chatbots and the idea of age restrictions for social media have emerged as global political issues.

Culture Minister Marc Miller said last week the government is “very seriously” considering a social media ban for kids, and will leave it to the expert group to weigh in on whether the bill should cover AI chatbots.