AI bill a good ‘first step’
Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press – Jun 21, 2026 / 11:38 am | Story: 620891
Photo: The Canadian Press
The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a screen showing part of the company website in this photo taken on Nov. 21, 2023 in New York. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Peter Morgan
A pair of artificial intelligence safety advocates say the federal government’s new chatbot legislation is a good first step.
But Wyatt Tessari L’Allié — of Artificial Intelligence Governance and Safety Canada — says the digital safety bill’s effectiveness depends heavily on how the details are worked out.
And B.C. computer science professor Kevin Leyton-Brown says Ottawa will need to go further to address AI’s sycophantic behaviour.
Bill C-34, introduced June 10 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 communicating harmful content and crisis intervention protocols for cases involving self-harm, suicide or violence.
Kristie Carrier, who is suing OpenAI after the death of her daughter by suicide, says the federal government’s bill is long overdue.