With ‘Superhuman’ Artificial Intelligence Looming, Canada Needs Law Now: AI Pioneer

A top pioneer of artificial intelligence says the federal government must move urgently to regulate the technology, because its current trajectory poses major societal risks. Yoshua Bengio, dubbed a “godfather” of AI, told members of Parliament on Jan. 5 that Ottawa should put a law in place immediately, even if that legislation is not perfect. The scientific director at Mila, the Quebec AI Institute, says a “superhuman” intelligence that is as smart as a human being could be developed within the next two decades—or even the next few years. The House of Commons industry committee is studying a Liberal government bill that would update privacy law and begin regulating some artificial intelligence systems....