Federal AI challenge opens for public servant ideas
Statistics Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada want rank-and-file employees to pitch ways to use artificial intelligence on the job. Submissions close June 30.
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The federal government is asking public servants for ideas on how to use artificial intelligence at work. Statistics Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have partnered with Global Government Forum on the "Public Service Data/AI Challenge," which opened for submissions at the end of May.
The challenge comes as the federal government is about to release its highly anticipated national AI strategy. AI use across the public service is central to government plans to maintain productivity while shedding thousands of jobs.
Rank-and-file public servants can submit ideas in rough form; the most promising will be developed by a team and pitched to judges. The winning idea will be supported toward implementation. The website notes that employers are expected to allow staff to participate during work hours.
The challenge has been running in the UK since 2022. Canada's version closes for submissions on June 30.
The federal government's public AI register currently lists about 400 current or planned AI systems across 42 government institutions. Prime Minister Mark Carney and AI Minister Evan Solomon have repeatedly committed to expanding AI use across the public service, citing it as key to boosting productivity and improving services.
But expansion has already drawn concerns. The government's AI-powered translation tool GCTranslate has some translators worried about linguistic rights, bias, and loss of nuance in translated texts.