Debates in the AI ecosystem over legislation are “healthy,” the Université de Montréal professor said at the All In artificial intelligence conference in Montreal on Wednesday. But he expressed concern that the Liberal government’s proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) “is probably not going to go through.” (The Logic)

Talking point: Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne first introduced Bill C-27 in June 2022. A Parliamentary committee is currently reviewing the legislation, but progress has been slow. Bengio, an AI pioneer, has long backed AIDA. It would impose requirements on firms developing or using AI systems that are “high impact,” like those for employment and health care decisions, or general purpose, like those that power ChatGPT. Canada will pass AI laws once the U.S. does, Bengio predicted. He claimed policymakers’ efforts to set rules for the technology have faced new and powerful opposition over the last year. “Tech lobbies [are] influencing governments, researchers, investors [and] startup founders to try to push the ecosystem towards rejecting any kind of governance intervention,” he said. “I think that’s sad.”