Mastercard, Salesforce, Lenovo join commitment to Ottawa’s AI code of conduct

Mastercard, Salesforce, Lenovo were joined by Alloprof, Kyndryl, Levio, MaRS Discovery District and Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) in making the commitment to responsible AI use under the federal government’s guidance.

With the addition of the eight organizations, a total of 30 companies have now made the voluntary commitment, including the following:

• Ada
• AlayaCare
• Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute
• AltaML
• Appen
• BlackBerry
• BlueDot
• CGI
• Cohere
• Council of Canadian Innovators
• Coveo
• IBM
• Kama.ai
• Mila
• OpenText
• Protexxa
• Ranovus
• Resemble AI
• Responsible Artificial Intelligence Institute
• Scale AI
• TELUS
• Vector Institute

What is the code of conduct for AI?

Launched in September 2023, the code identifies measures that should be applied in advance of binding regulation pursuant to the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act by all firms or managing the operations of a generative AI system with general-purpose capabilities.

That same month, Ottawa also released preliminary guidance to federal institutions on their use of generative AI tools for work. The Directive on Automated Decision-Making applies to automated systems, including those that rely on AI, used to influence or make administrative decisions.

"Generative AI and traditional AI will unlock profound opportunities to enable solutions that benefit everyone. But, for this innovation to be sustainable and inclusive, people will need to trust it. And that starts with foundational practices that respect and protect individual rights and communities,” said Sasha Krstic, president, Mastercard, Canada. 

“At Mastercard, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of data and tech responsibility, and we believe Canada's voluntary generative AI code of conduct is an important step forward in creating a unified framework for responsible data-driven innovation."

“By joining Canada’s AI Voluntary Code, Lenovo continues its strong commitment to deploying trustworthy AI solutions and to support Canada in creating a responsible AI ecosystem,” said Doug Fisher, Lenovo’s senior vice president and chief security officer. “With Lenovo’s long-standing strong Canadian presence, we will continue working to deepen our engagement in Canada and deliver smarter AI for all.”

In undertaking this voluntary commitment, developers and managers of advanced generative systems commit to working to achieve the following outcomes:

• Accountability – Firms understand their role with regard to the systems they develop or manage, put in place appropriate risk management systems, and share information with other firms as needed to avoid gaps.
• Safety – Systems are subject to risk assessments, and mitigations needed to ensure safe operation are put in place prior to deployment.
• Fairness and Equity – Potential impacts with regard to fairness and equity are assessed and addressed at different phases of development and deployment of the systems.
• Transparency – Sufficient information is published to allow consumers to make informed decisions and for experts to evaluate whether risks have been adequately addressed.
• Human Oversight and Monitoring – System use is monitored after deployment, and updates are implemented as needed to address any risks that materialize.
• Validity and Robustness – Systems operate as intended, are secure against cyber attacks, and their behaviour in response to the range of tasks or situations to which they are likely to be exposed is understood.

Signatories also commit to support the ongoing development of a robust, responsible AI ecosystem in Canada. They also commit to develop and deploy AI systems in a manner that will drive inclusive and sustainable growth in Canada, including by prioritizing human rights, accessibility and environmental sustainability, and to harness the potential of AI to address the most pressing global challenges of our time.

"AI has the potential to enhance productivity and reshape entire industries for the benefit of humanity. Building that future will take a partnership between regulators, businesses, and civil society,” said Eric Loeb, executive vice president for government affairs at Salesforce. “We're proud to sign Canada's voluntary generative AI code of conduct as we collectively work towards instilling trust in the technology."

Nearly all Canadians are looking for ground rules when it comes to the use and development of AI in the country, according to a previous TELUS report.

Ottawa has already taken significant steps toward ensuring that AI technology evolves responsibly and safely through the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), which was introduced in June 2022 as part of Bill C-27, also known as the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022, according to the government.

However, incorporating the AIDA into Bill C-27 is simply not the way to go around legislating AI, according to one expert.