I wrote this piece way back at the end of June. It ended up getting translated to French and posted onto my publisher’s website, but I realize I never published the English original, so here it is. I went into this topic a little also in my (French) interview with Bruno Guglielminetti.

Protecting Our Digital Sovereignty

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes our world, Quebec faces a critical juncture. The real existential threat posed by AI is not killer robots roaming our streets, but the ever-increasing control exerted by gigantic multinational tech corporations over our digital lives. 

These companies, predominantly American, dictate the terms of acceptable speech, influence public opinion, and largely seem to operate beyond the reach of Quebec’s laws. This creeping dominance by foreign entities is a modern form of technological colonialism, undermining our sovereignty and autonomy, and need to be addressed by the government of Quebec through the creation of a robust AI oversight body before it is too late to undo the damage.

A recent incident I was personally involved with has highlighted for me the mounting urgency of this situation. When I discovered a critical safety flaw in a popular AI service and went public with it, the company suspended my account instead of fixing the problem. Incidents like this make it all too clear that these companies prioritize protecting corporate interests over user safety and public good. Whistleblowers such as myself face retaliation, while the underlying issues remain unaddressed. This pattern underscores a disturbing reality: without robust oversight, Quebecers are left vulnerable to the whims of unaccountable foreign entities.

Our province has become alarmingly dependent on American technology. From smartphones to social media, from cloud services storing government data to AI assistants in our homes, we’ve unwittingly ceded control of our digital infrastructure to Silicon Valley. This overreliance extends to emerging AI technologies, where Quebec-based alternatives are scarce.

Existing regulatory bodies, such as the Commission d’accès à l’information, play crucial roles in data protection in Quebec. However, their mandates are too narrow to address the complex multi-faceted challenges posed by AI. Generative AI, automated decision-making systems, and AI-driven profiling and content moderation raise unprecedented ethical, legal, and societal questions that demand immediate specialized oversight.

Quebec urgently needs a dedicated AI regulatory body with the power to, at minimum:

  • Audit all AI systems used in our province, regardless of their origin.
  • Enforce transparency in automated decision-making affecting Quebecers.
  • Investigate safety issues and penalize non-compliance with our regulations.
  • Safeguard Quebec’s cultural and linguistic identity against AI-driven homogenization.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. As AI systems increasingly mediate our access to information, job opportunities, financial services, and healthcare, we must ensure these systems align with Quebec’s values and laws. Without strong oversight, we risk becoming another digital colony, our society shaped by algorithms designed to serve foreign interests and profit motives.

Moreover, this new body must have the mandate and resources to engage on the international stage. It should collaborate with like-minded jurisdictions to create a counterweight to the AI superpowers, ensuring smaller nations and distinct cultures have a say in how AI develops globally.

Quebec has a proud history of protecting its unique identity and values in the face of outside pressures. In the AI era, this fight moves to the digital realm. By establishing a powerful AI oversight body, we can reclaim our digital sovereignty, protect our distinct society, and ensure that the AI revolution serves all Quebecers.

Related writing & research