AI Governance, Public Policy and Safety
Ensuring the seamless integration of artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide.
The widespread introduction of any new technology can lead to public concern, controversy, and even disinformation. Because of AI’s powerful potential to change everything from business to the creative industries, it is essential to understand public perception and help guide public policy.
The effective and responsible application of technologies as powerful as AI cannot be left to chance. Local, national and international cooperation is essential in ensuring the development of comprehensive and robust safeguards and governance. Mila is leading a range of international and interdisciplinary projects, including partnerships with UNESCO, the United Nations, and numerous corporate and industry partners.
What We Do
Mila works primarily in the areas of consulting and research. From helping to develop industry tools and standards to contributing to international policy, Mila brings together thought leaders from around the world to ensure a just and equitable AI future for all.
AI Insights for Policymakers Program
The AI information space is noisy, often highly technical, full of competing claims and vested interests. Finding reliable, independent and, above all, relevant insights is challenging. This rings especially true for policymakers grappling with how best to approach, regulate or leverage AI for the public interest despite having limited access to technical AI expertise and no clear mechanism to engage with scientific experts. This knowledge-brokering initiative - led by Mila and CIFAR - addresses this gap by providing a platform for policymakers and scientists to have timely and meaningful interactions on key issues.
Ultimately, we seek to bolster evidence-based policies across Canada by enabling policymakers to tap into the breadth and depth of the Canadian AI ecosystem’s knowledge.
International Initiatives
In order to develop effective AI safeguards and governance, international cooperation is key. Mila remains a leader when it comes to advancing research into responsible application and risk mitigation for AI systems and AI governance.
Major international partnerships include:
- UNESCO, with which we published the book Missing Links in AI Governance, addressing the urgent need to regulate AI.
- The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), with which we published the white paper AI in Cities: Risks, Applications and Governance.
GPAI Project: Towards Real Diversity and Gender Equality in Artificial Intelligence
The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) project “Towards Real Diversity and Gender Equality in Artificial Intelligence: Evidence-Based Promising Practices and Recommendations” aims to provide governments and other stakeholders of the AI ecosystem with recommendations, tools, and promising practices to integrate Diversity and Gender Equality (DGE) considerations into the AI life cycle and related policy-making.
What We Heard — Roundtable on AI and the cultural sector
On October 17th and 18th, Mila and the Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH) partnered to convene cultural sector representatives and AI experts. Their objective was to identify the foundational elements for a National Cultural Data Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on the use of cultural content in the field of AI. This "What We Heard" report is co-authored by Noah Oder, Anna Jahn and Henri Vilandré.
Protecting Human Rights in the Age of AI Conference
Bringing together key stakeholders from the academic fields of machine learning, law, and social sciences, alongside representatives from civil society and policy-making communities, the international conference hosted at Mila in February 2024 aimed to advance the critical efforts needed to incorporate human rights into AI governance mechanisms.
