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2931. Toward a Model Code for Digital Safety

Author:
Michel Girard
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
Although standards are being published to address privacy, cybersecurity and high-risk artificial intelligence, more needs to be done to address digital harms. Stakeholders are playing catch-up with a tsunami of new, unproven digital technologies, and standards are developed after the fact. One approach gaining traction is the development of a model code for digital safety. This code would define a set of core values that should be embedded in new digital technologies in order to prevent harms from occurring in the first place. This would replicate what stakeholders have been doing for close to 100 years to ensure the safety of the built environment.
Topic:
Cybersecurity, Privacy, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Safety
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2932. Data Disquiet: Concerns about the Governance of Data for Generative AI

Author:
Susan Ariel Aaronson
Publication Date:
03-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
The growing popularity of large language models (LLMs) has raised concerns about their accuracy. These chatbots can be used to provide information, but it may be tainted by errors or made-up or false information (hallucinations) caused by problematic data sets or incorrect assumptions made by the model. The questionable results produced by chatbots has led to growing disquiet among users, developers and policy makers. The author argues that policy makers need to develop a systemic approach to address these concerns. The current piecemeal approach does not reflect the complexity of LLMs or the magnitude of the data upon which they are based, therefore, the author recommends incentivizing greater transparency and accountability around data-set development.
Topic:
Governance, Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Generative Models
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2933. Competing Ideas: Canada’s Competition Reform Conversation

Author:
Vass Bednar and Keldon Bester
Publication Date:
04-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
The Government of Canada’s recent review of and updates to the Competition Act have sparked a closer examination of how competition is protected and promoted in Canada. Competition affects all Canadians, especially in the face of rising costs of living and a shrinking number of competitors in key markets. Yet the laws that govern competition are not easily understood by average consumers, leaving them out of the public policy conversation. This paper looks at why better competition law is needed and examines previous reform efforts.
Topic:
Reform, Public Policy, and Competition
Political Geography:
Canada and North America

2934. Into Uncharted Waters: Trade Secrets Law in the AI Era

Author:
Burcu Kilic
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
Artificial intelligence (AI) has many beneficial applications that can improve quality of life, but accountability and transparency can be elusive when problems arise. This paper looks at the tools, systems and measures needed to ensure that when AI systems do more harm than good, their administrators are held accountable. Trade secrets law protects the source code, algorithms and data sets upon which AI systems are built, but they also prevent those harmed by these systems from getting answers. Requests for disclosure, data sharing and due process are being denied in the name of trade secrets protection. Complicating the matter is that trade secrets are treated differently in various jurisdictions.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Innovation, Artificial Intelligence, and Trade Secrets
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2935. Explainable AI Policy: It Is Time to Challenge Post Hoc Explanations

Author:
Mardi Witzel, Gaston H. Gonnet, and Tom Snider
Publication Date:
07-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
The focus of this paper is on policy guidance around explainable artificial intelligence (AI) or the ability to understand how AI models arrive at their outcomes. Explainability matters in human terms because it facilitates including an individual’s “right to explanation” and it also plays a role in enabling technical evaluation of AI systems. The paper begins with an examination of the meaning of explainability, concluding that the constellation of related terms serves to frustrate and confuse policy initiatives. Following a brief review of contemporary policy guidance, it argues that there is a need for greater clarity and context-specific guidance, highlighting the need to distinguish between ante hoc and post hoc explainability, especially in high-risk, high-impact contexts. The question of whether post hoc or ante hoc methods have been employed is a fundamental and often-overlooked question in policy. The paper argues that the question of which method should be employed in a given context, along with the requirement for human-level understanding, is a key challenge that policy makers need to address. A taxonomy for how explainability can be operationalized in AI policy is proposed and a series of recommendations is set forth.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Innovation, and Artificial Intelligence
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2936. Closing the Global North-South Gap in the Second Space Age

Author:
Chaitanya Giri and Kyle Hiebert
Publication Date:
08-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
When the world entered the First Space Age in the 1950s, only a few developed economies pursued access to space for their geostrategic goals. Over time, the global space apparatus began providing space applications to developing economies, helping them raise their socio-political indicators. Today, many nations of the Global South have recognized the significance of access to space and are investing efforts towards pursuing it. However, there is a stark divide between current and developing space powers, with the current powers creating astropolitical blocs based on the geostrategic space race that has waxed and waned but never diminished. This bloc formation burdens the developing space-capable countries with the geostrategic aspirations of the bloc leaders. In light of the fast-paced changes that space commercialization is bringing about worldwide, a new set of outer space regulations are needed under the auspices of the United Nations to narrow this Global North-South divide and ensure that access to space is equitable and benefits the inherent needs of human development and Earth’s well-being.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Economy, Competition, and Space Governance
Political Geography:
Space

2937. International Norms Development and AI in the Military Domain

Author:
Tim Sweijs and Sofia Romansky
Publication Date:
09-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Abstract:
The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military applications has changed the way countries engage in war and in times of peace. With so many potential effects of military AI applications, both positive and negative, there is growing demand for international norms to govern their responsible use based on ethical and legal principles. While some argue that current international and human rights laws are sufficient, this paper makes the case for expanding norms to encompass the rapid growth of military AI use while looking at the challenges facing international norms development, current initiatives, and strengths and weaknesses in the normative landscape.
Topic:
Human Rights, National Security, Artificial Intelligence, and Military
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2938. The LGBT Purge, its Demise, and the Aftermath: Retired Servicewomen Paving the Way

Author:
Charlotte Duval-Lantoine
Publication Date:
02-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
In 1992, a court case lifted put an end to the persecution of 2SLGBTQI+ service members in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). To some researchers, the end of discriminatory policies translated into tolerance for and the welcoming of 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians in the rank of the military. However, scandals over sexual misconduct, gender-based violence, and homo- and transphobic incidents in the CAF is painting a drastically different picture. Instead of a history of burgeoning inclusion and diversity, the end of what became known as the LGBT Purge led to different types of violence and struggles for 2SLGBTQI+ members. This article provides a chronology of the last years of the LGBT Purge in the military and the aftermath of Douglas v. the Canadian Armed Forces. It recounts an history of an institution that did not live up to its duty of care obligations because of members’ sexual orientation and gender identity. But this piece also underlines the role that women, both serving and retired, in bringing the issues to light and drive change in the military.
Topic:
Armed Forces, Women, LGBT+, Indigenous, and Military
Political Geography:
Canada and North America

2939. Servicewomen as Whistleblowers: Canadian Servicewomen and the Revelations of Military Sexual Violence

Author:
Claire Cookson-Hills
Publication Date:
02-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
This article documents the history of revelations of sexual misconduct within the military, and places that history in the paradoxical context of the responses of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). Starting in 1998 with the Maclean’s reporting, servicewomen have publicly shared their personal experiences of military sexual trauma. The history of these revelations has been written by journalists in conversation with servicewomen. Journalists have been supportive and ham-handed advocates of justice for survivors of military sexual violence. By contrast, both CAF and VAC have been reactionary in their responses to military sexual violence. Such focus on sexual violence stands in contrast to how servicewomen place the violence in the wider context of their career. After 2015, servicewomen have taken steps to advocate, organize, write their own stories publicly, and thereby put pressure on the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs to change.
Topic:
Armed Forces, Women, Sexual Violence, Whistle Blowing, and Military
Political Geography:
Canada and North America

2940. Military Service and Serving the Community: How the Second World War Propelled Activism Forward for Indigenous and Native American Servicewomen

Author:
Isabella Sun
Publication Date:
02-2024
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT), originally named the Native American Indian Club of Toronto, was founded in 1950 by community volunteers – the majority of whom were Indigenous women.1 The club was founded to build a network and create an inclusive social space through shared culture, art, and language in Toronto. Indigenous women-led organizations such as the NCCT were not uncommon to find after the Second World War, since the wartime era empowered many Indigenous women to find and create their place in society. Today, the NCCT continues to prioritize Indigenous community building through promoting traditional knowledge and culture through language courses, art classes, and other events. Although this centre is unrelated to the war effort, it can be considered a by-product of Indigenous empowerment after the Second World War. Whether Indigenous women voluntarily enlisted or not, the war changed the daily realities of these many women. This article will explore similar themes of Indigenous servicewomen’s experiences throughout the Second World War and afterwards in Canada, and compare it with those of Native American servicewomen in the United States. It will highlight how their service affected post-war actions and activism for Indigenous rights in the latter twentieth century.
Topic:
Women, Indigenous, Activism, and Military
Political Geography:
Canada and North America