Canada is working on incorporating AI in its military, Blair says
He said it’s "critical that we harness this technology both effectively and ethically," according to a copy of his remarks at the Responsible AI in the Military Domain summit.
Defence Minister Bill Blair has stated that while Canada is advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its military, this technology will not replace human personnel.
Blair made these comments during a summit in Seoul, South Korea, where Canada was one of 61 nations that endorsed a new document on the responsible military application of AI.
Under a strategy announced earlier this year, Canada aims to transform the Canadian Armed Forces into an "AI-enabled" organization by 2030, Blair said.
He emphasized the importance of using AI in a manner that is both effective and ethical. "It is critical that we harness this technology effectively and ethically," Blair said, as outlined in his remarks at the Responsible AI in the Military Domain summit.
Blair explained that the goal is to use AI to "enhance the work of our military personnel but not to replace it." He further assured that "humans will always remain at the forefront of significant decisions with appropriate accountability mechanisms in place."
The strategy also focuses on collaborating with allies to ensure that AI technologies are developed efficiently and integrated effectively, he added.
The strategy document highlights that Canada's allies are rapidly adopting AI and warns that Canada must keep pace, noting that the technology is becoming increasingly accessible to potential adversaries.
Countries endorsing the "blueprint for action" at the summit in Seoul include allies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, according to a list on the summit’s website. Notably, China, Russia, and Israel did not endorse the agreement.
This meeting in South Korea followed the inaugural summit in the Netherlands last year, where Canada and other nations supported an earlier document.
The "blueprint" from this week’s summit acknowledges that AI has the potential to significantly transform military affairs but also warns of humanitarian, societal, and ethical risks associated with its use.
The document stresses that AI applications must comply with national and international laws and that "responsibility and accountability can never be transferred to machines."
It also calls for "safeguards to mitigate the risks of malfunctions or unintended consequences," including biases in data or algorithms. Furthermore, it insists that humans should be able to understand, explain, and trust the outputs from AI systems.
