A strong majority of Canadians are utilizing artificial intelligence technologies—but hardly anyone thinks the systems can be trusted without human oversight.
These are among the findings of a new report from TELUS. The Vancouver telecom titan this week released its second annual report on the state of AI adoption in Canada.
The report, “Human-centric AI: Perspectives on trust and the future of AI,” found that while 80% of Canadians have been tapping into AI over the last year—and 74% believing the tech improves how they complete tasks—just 1% trust AI systems to work independently without human oversight.
This study highlights a need for trust in successful AI adoption, according to Pam Snively, who serves TELUS as Chief Data & Trust Officer, providing evidence that organizations should take steps to ensure their use of data and technology is transparent and accountable.
“Our research clearly shows that trust isn’t optional,” says Snively. “It’s fundamental to the social license required to unlock AI’s full potential to do good.”
According to the report, 79% of Canadians believe that human oversight is essential to ensure trustworthiness in AI systems.
“While Canadians are actively embracing AI in their daily lives, they’re telling us that trust must be earned through meaningful human oversight, robust safeguards, and transparent practices,” Snively continued. “It is trust that will determine how far and how fast we can go.”
Earlier this year, TELUS revealed plans to launch multiple “Sovereign AI Factories” in Canada as early as this summer as part of a $70B investment into “future-focused technology.”
Launching initially in Quebec and the Okanagan region of B.C., each Factory is a high-security, high-performance computing facility designed to bolster AI innovation while ensuring data sovereignty.
Aligned with the goals of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy to advance a secure and self-reliant digital economy, the initiative aims to provide sovereign, high-performance AI computing resources to power the nation’s digital future, according to TELUS CEO Darren Entwistle.
“Our Sovereign AI Factories are the first of their kind in Canada and represent a key step forward in our country’s AI journey,” Entwistle stated in April. “This initiative will strengthen our nation’s ability to develop advanced AI technology and increase productivity, empowering homegrown businesses and Canadian researchers to innovate courageously and compete on the global stage.”
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