The Government of Manitoba is launching public consultations on AI that will inform future provincial policy.
Mike Moroz, Manitoba’s innovation and technology minister, announced the consultations earlier this month, saying feedback from Manitobans was aimed at “confronting the growing risk posed by artificial intelligence.”
“AI is advancing faster than most people realize, and with that speed comes real risks, especially for children,” Moroz said in a press release. “Our priority is protecting kids and ensuring every Manitoban’s personal data is treated with the highest level of care.”
“As AI seeps into every facet of life, Manitobans’ opinions on this technology are becoming stronger and less positive.”
So far, an official timeline or detailed information on how to submit for the consultations has not been established, but the Province said consultations will focus on two distinct areas. The first will seek input on modernizing Manitoba’s data privacy laws, so that “every person has enforceable rights, strong protections, and confidence their information cannot be misused, exploited or accessed with authorization.”
The second area of focus will look to establish rules for responsible AI use in Manitoba, particularly as it pertains to scenarios that influence decisions around “rights, opportunities, benefits, or access to essential services.”
The consultations will be aimed at everyday Manitobans, as well as Indigenous governments, young people, educators, researchers, municipalities, and private and non-profit organizations.
Results of the consultation will be used to determine several potential changes to Manitoba’s policy towards AI, which the Province laid out broadly as including potential age limits for access to AI, and a requirement for the private sector to establish consent in an “opt-in” process relating to gathering Manitobans’ personal data. No further details were given on what the specifics of those policies would look like or what aspects of AI they might pertain to.
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Manitoba’s push for consultation comes at a time when many jurisdictions around the world are grappling with whether to impose restrictions on social media and AI use among young people. Several countries, including Australia and Indonesia, have already enacted bans.
Some have argued that such bans are ineffective and may prevent young people from accessing the benefits of AI and social media, or lessen safeguards on platforms that children and young people will inevitably access.
Changing opinion
Manitoba’s consultations come at a time when polling shows that people in the province have polarized views on AI. Probe Research, a Winnipeg-based research firm, published the results of a recent poll on views on AI on March 9. The results showed that, among those polled, opinions of AI skew negative.
“More than one-half of Manitobans now hold a negative view of AI, compared to one-third who have a positive opinion of it,” a report on Probe’s website reads. “As AI seeps into every facet of life, Manitobans’ opinions on this technology are becoming stronger and less positive.”
Probe Research’s polling shows that negative feelings towards AI are primarily linked to concerns about environmental impact and job losses stemming from AI’s rapid adoption.
Despite overall polling trending toward a negative outlook, those with a positive outlook had grown from 28 percent to 36 percent, and two-thirds of Manitobans polled indicated they had used AI tools in the past year.
An overwhelming majority of those polled agreed that AI content online should be clearly indicated and that there are not enough safeguards in place to ensure responsible use of the technology.
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