Artificial intelligence: Governments must recognize its legal and ethical implications, says University of Alberta
Posted Jan 30, 2024 9:14 am.
Concerns are growing over whether federal laws are adapting quickly enough to artificial intelligence, particularly in the light of recent AI-generated deepfake photos of pop star Taylor Swift.
Sexually explicit and abusive fake images of Swift began circulating widely last week on X, making her the most famous victim of a scourge that tech platforms and anti-abuse groups have struggled to fix.
Her ardent fanbase of “Swifties” quickly mobilized, launching a counteroffensive on the platform formerly known as Twitter and a #ProtectTaylorSwift hashtag to flood it with more positive images of the pop star. Some said they were reporting accounts that were sharing the deepfakes.
RELATED: X pauses some Taylor Swift searches as deepfake explicit images spread
“There’s no question we need to keep an eye to the ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence,” Bill Flanagan, the president of the University of Alberta, told CityNews.
“It is advancing very quickly, so it’s important that the federal government and the Government of Alberta is also very engaged in issues like data privacy.”
The U of A is partnering with Amazon Web Services to launch Artificial Intelligence Discovery Place. The goal is to make AI skills more accessible to Edmonton’s tech sector and position the province as a leader in AI.
“We think AI is going to have enormous and potential application to industry, to education, to business, to research applications,” Flanagan said. “So the University of Alberta is very on the cutting edge of research driving AI forward.”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner voiced her concern on X last week.
“The problem is that these images were generated with artificial intelligence,” she said in a video posted to the platform. “And there are loopholes in many country’s laws, especially in Canada, regarding intimate images that were generated by artificial intelligence, and those loopholes need to be closed.”
Rempel has advocated for tighter controls on artificial intelligence in parliament, saying not everyone has “legions of Swifties to come to her defence online.” She says this is a “problem for every Canadian.”
“Can you imagine your ex circulating images of you that were created by artificial intelligence that you can’t really tell the difference between online. This is why the Liberal government needs to act now on this issue.”
With how quickly the technology is moving, the University of Alberta’s president says governments need to try to keep up.
“It’s important that the federal government and the Government of Alberta is also very engaged in issues like data privacy,” Flanagan said. “There are some interesting and complex issues that are arising, and it’s very important that not only government be engaged, but also universities be thinking about the ethical and legal implications of AI.”
Flanagan believes this is the beginning of artificial intelligence unlocking its potential.
“I think the potential impact is extraordinary, so we’re going to see this and it’s going to touch all of our lives,” he said. “I would suggest that we are at the beginning of this, and the University of Alberta is very much in the lead.
“It is going quickly, there’s no question. The advances in AI are really impressive and the potential application for improving our lives and improving how we live is enormous.”
