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AI safety advocates say bill a good ‘first step’ on regulation, but more needed
Advocates call the bill a first step as it would require chatbots to flag mental-health distress and use crisis-intervention protocols.
- Ottawa's new Bill C-34, introduced June 10 in the House of Commons, represents a "good first step" toward regulating AI chatbots, according to safety advocates who warn significantly more oversight remains necessary.
- New Brunswick mother Kristie Carrier filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its owner Sam Altman in the California Superior Court earlier this month, seeking justice for her daughter Alice, who died by suicide in Montreal in July 2025.
- Kevin Leyton-Brown, an AI chair with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, warned that chatbots often exhibit "sycophantic behavior" by affirming harmful statements, which can be "really dangerous" for vulnerable users suffering from delusions.
- The legislation proposes creating a digital safety regulator expected to take 18 months to establish, with protocols for identifying self-harm risks and intervening in crisis situations involving suicide or violence.
- Wyatt Tessari L'Allié of Artificial Intelligence Governance and Safety Canada said the bill's effectiveness depends on implementation details, while lawsuits like Carrier's signal a "price to pay" for companies lacking adequate guardrails.
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Feds’ AI bill good ‘first step’ but safety advocates say more work needed
The federal government’s proposed online safety legislation is a good start on regulating artificial intelligence chatbots — but more work will be needed to protect Canadians from their potential harms, a pair of advocates say. Bill C-34, introduced earlier this month in the House of Commons, would regulate the companies behind AI chatbots by imposing on them a duty to act “responsibly.” It includes measures to lower the risk of chatbots communi…
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Total News Sources27
Leaning Left19Leaning Right0Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution76% Left
Bias Distribution
- 76% of the sources lean Left
76% Left
L 76%
C 24%
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