Canada-France Statement on Artificial Intelligence

Canada and France affirm that artificial intelligence is a revolution whose impact is being felt more and more each day. In the near future, it will influence all human activity, providing unprecedented economic and social benefits. Innovations in artificial intelligence technologies will create new sources of economic growth that could make our economies more competitive, inclusive and sustainable, create jobs and shape a better future for all our citizens.

Reaffirming the G7 Innovation Ministers’ Statement on Artificial Intelligence adopted in Montréal on March 28, 2018, Canada and France wish to promote a vision of human-centric artificial intelligence grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth. The widespread use of these new technologies will have a profound effect on everyday life and societal progress, creating both opportunities and challenges.

In this context, Canada and France emphasize the need to develop the capacity to anticipate impacts and coordinate efforts in order to encourage trust and promote the development of artificial intelligence. To this end, we are calling for the creation of an international study group that can become a global point of reference for understanding and sharing research results on artificial intelligence issues and best practices. This initiative will work to create internationally recognized expertise and provide a mechanism for sharing multidisciplinary analysis, foresight and coordination capabilities in the area of artificial intelligence that is inclusive and multistakeholder in its approach.

The group, comprised of government experts, joined by internationally recognized science, industry, and civil society experts, must be able to work independently to analyze the scientific, technical and socioeconomic information that is needed to gain a better understanding of technological developments in artificial intelligence and to identify the consequences of their use. Supported by a small permanent structure, the group will lay the foundation for global collaboration and expertise in the area of artificial intelligence, giving early consideration to impacts on citizens and accelerating the capacity to address opportunities of common interest to our citizens.

Canada and France will set up a task force, which could include other interested parties, in order to make recommendations on the scope, governance and implementation of the international study group. By the end of the year, the task force will submit a report on the implementation of the international study group, whose results will be shared within the G7.

For the Government of Canada
Navdeep Singh BAINS
Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

For the Government of the French Republic
Frédérique VIDAL
Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation