Europe’s new AI transparency rules are in effect. Should Canada copy them?

The European Union’s new artificial intelligence transparency rules that aim to make it easier to spot AI-generated content and systems took effect this week, and experts say Canada should model them — and fast. As of Sunday, AI systems operating in Europe must be designed to explicitly notify users when they’re dealing with AI instead of a human. Additionally, platforms and services that use those systems are now required to clearly label AI-generated or manipulated content like deepfakes that are designed to look real.Canada has launched public consultations on how to develop its own AI transparency rules, with AI Minister Evan Solomon saying it matters “more than ever” as AI continues to become part of everyday life.But AI researchers say the clock is ticking as systems get smarter and the line between what’s real and fake gets blurrier. Story continues below advertisement “We are in an arms race around disinformation and misinformation with those actors who are using generative AI to misinform and attack the institutions of societies,” said Brian McQuinn, an associate professor at the University of Regina and co-director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Conf...