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Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct for Generative AI

Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct sets non-binding commitments for signatories developing or managing advanced general-purpose generative AI systems.

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  • Dernière mise à jour
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  1. Aperçu
  2. Plongée profonde
  3. Impact stratégique
  4. The Future of Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct for Generative AI
  5. Mise en œuvre dans le monde réel
  6. Risques et garde-fous
  7. Feuille de route de mise en œuvre
  8. Continuez à explorer
  9. Questions fréquemment posées

Aperçu

Its six principles cover accountability, safety, fairness, transparency, human oversight, and validity and robustness; it does not replace existing legal duties.

Plongée profonde

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada published the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems in September 2023. It is designed for advanced systems with broad capabilities that can be adapted to many uses, not every narrow tool such as low-risk grammar correction. Organizations may sign commitments as developers or as managers of system operations, with responsibilities assigned to each role. The code organizes measures under six principles: accountability; safety; fairness and equity; transparency; human oversight and monitoring; and validity and robustness. For example, developers assess foreseeable harms, curate training data, test for bias, conduct red-teaming and cybersecurity assessment, and share information with downstream managers. Managers monitor use and impact, identify the system as AI where it may be mistaken for a human, and maintain feedback and incident channels. Systems made widely available for public use face additional measures, including public capability and limitation information and detection or watermarking methods for generated content. The code is voluntary. Signatories publicly commit to measures, but adherence is not a government certification and does not itself prove that a system is safe or legally compliant. The code expressly says it does not change obligations under existing law, including privacy law. A company can be a signatory and still face duties under consumer protection, privacy, copyright, human rights, or sector-specific rules. Likewise, a nonsignatory remains subject to applicable law. A practical review identifies whether the model has general-purpose advanced capabilities, whether it is available for broad public use, and which party develops versus operates it. Map each commitment to evidence, owner, test, monitoring cadence, and escalation. Check the current signatory roster and ISED FAQs, since participation and public materials can change.

Impact stratégique

Risques et sécurité

Les dommages catastrophiques et quotidiens causés par l’IA dépendent tous deux de la personne qui comprend les risques et qui peut agir.

Décisions plus claires

Les connaissances du public et des professionnels déterminent si une politique de sécurité forte est politiquement possible.

Passer à travers le battage médiatique

Des explications claires réduisent la capture par le battage médiatique, les relations publiques en laboratoire et le théâtre d'éthique vague.

The Future of Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct for Generative AI

ISED may revise the code, FAQs, and signatory information. The code remains a voluntary instrument as of this review, and it should not be confused with a passed national AI statute. Signatories should maintain evidence for commitments and check updates; non-signatories must still comply with existing Canadian and provincial law. Treat changed products and new public-release channels as triggers to refresh risk controls. Participation and signatory rosters may change. Check current ISED text and FAQs, and assess later statutes or regulations independently; the code remains a separate voluntary commitment.

Mise en œuvre dans le monde réel

A model developer documents pre-release red-teaming and training-data bias checks.

A platform operator creates a reporting channel and incident database for harmful use.

A public model provider publishes capability limits and a content-detection method.

A legal reviewer distinguishes voluntary code commitments from binding privacy and consumer-protection laws.

Risques et garde-fous

  • Traiter le risque existentiel comme de la science-fiction alors que les capacités s’accroissent.

  • Confondre sécurité des produits de surface et alignement sous haute autonomie.

  • Laisser le public non anglophone et non expert avec uniquement des sources de mauvaise qualité.

Feuille de route de mise en œuvre

  1. Séparez les dommages causés aux produits, leur mauvaise utilisation et les risques de perte de contrôle/désalignement.

  2. Demandez quelles preuves pourraient changer votre point de vue sur les délais et la gravité.

  3. Préférez les sources primaires et les évaluations concrètes aux allégations marketing.

  4. Identifiez une voie d’action : carrière, politique, financement ou compétences – et pas seulement la sensibilisation.

Continuez à explorer

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Questions fréquemment posées

What is Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct for Generative AI?

Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct sets non-binding commitments for signatories developing or managing advanced general-purpose generative AI systems. Its six principles cover accountability, safety, fairness, transparency, human oversight, and validity and robustness; it does not replace existing legal duties.

Is the Canadian Generative AI Code legally binding on every provider?

The code is voluntary and does not replace existing legal obligations.

What kind of systems are in scope?

The code targets advanced systems adaptable to many contexts.

What extra transparency measure applies to systems available for public use?

The code includes detection methods, initially emphasizing audiovisual content.

Which party typically controls deployment monitoring?

The code assigns monitoring and incident duties to managers/operators.

Why should developers and operators share information?

The code calls for information sharing to avoid gaps between roles.