Ottawa Should Address AI’s Impact on Worker Rights, Privacy: Parliamentary Report

Ottawa Should Address AI’s Impact on Worker Rights, Privacy: Parliamentary Report
The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 18, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)
The Canadian Press
5/13/2024
Updated:
5/13/2024
0:00

A parliamentary committee is outlining ways the federal government can better prepare for the impact of artificial intelligence on the Canadian labour force.

That includes assessing whether federal labour legislation has the capacity to protect workers’ rights as AI technology is adopted.

The House of Commons human resources committee made the recommendation in a recently released report.

It says worker and privacy protections were identified as major concerns during the MPs’ study on how AI could affect the Canadian labour force.

The committee is calling for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to look into how AI is affecting worker privacy and propose regulatory fixes to make sure Canadians are protected.

It also says Employment and Social Development Canada should work on supporting ethical adoption of AI and invest in skills training to ensure the Canadian workforce can better adapt to new technology.