Continuing to highlight the need for reform, the Office of the
Privacy Commissioner of Canada ("OPC") has initiated a
consultation on recommendations they have presented to adapt the
private sector privacy statute Personal Information Protection
and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA") to address
the specific challenges proposed by artificial intelligence systems
and related tools, such as machine learning and big data analytics
("AI").
Specifically, the OPC is concerned about the deployment of AI to
process and analyze large amounts of personal information,
typically used for predictive decision-making purposes. At issue in
particular is the resulting potential for discrimination and
unlawful bias, as well as risks to privacy, data security, and
Canadians' trust in the digital economy. The OPC's
recommendations frequently refer to the European General Data
Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), including its AI-targeted
requirements related to "automated decision-making,"
