In episode six of the Courage My Friends' season nine, we welcome impact strategist with Animikii, Indigenous Technology, Jeff Doctor, technology and human rights lawyer with Tekhnos Law and senior fellow with The Citizen Lab, Cynthia Khoo, senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood. 

We discuss Canada's accelerated approach to artificial intelligence and the mobilization of civil society groups against it, multiple impacts of largely unregulated AI on people, planet and democracy, Indigenous perspectives on data sovereignty and digital colonialism and the meaning of AI beyond the hype.

Reflecting on the government's accelerated AI development, Mertins-Kirkwood says:

"There's definitely a distinct moment that's happening right now. A particular hype cycle, a push to adopt this current iteration of 'artificial intelligence', whatever that means … The question is why are we doing it. The way that the federal government in particular talks about AI is frankly very ideological … We need to adopt it for its own sake, independent of what that actually means … We're just kind of rushing without having a clear sense of where we're going."

On civil society's objection to the "national sprint" consultation on AI, Khoo says:

"...As people who are familiar with this field and topic … we're kind of appalled … AI has spread through so many spheres of society, it's not just a tech issue anymore, it's a whatever issue you care about … This 30-day "sprint" with leading language and incredibly narrow scoping from our government, it's frankly embarrassing. And just shows they're not really taking seriously the … empirically demonstrated … harms of AI and what's really at stake for everyone across the country. '"

On the subject of data sovereignty, Doctor says:

"Every technology has politics, Every technology is a product of its time … And enter this current moment where this magic bean of AI, this bundle of excuses comes together, that, oh we have to extract more, we have to mine more, we have to use more energy. As an Indigenous person this is nothing new to me … Indigenous territories, lands and peoples as sacrifice zones … for the greater good or for national sovereignty … Who's national sovereignty?"

About today's guests: 

Jeff Doctor is a Cayuga Nation citizen from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. As an Impact Strategist with Animikii, Jeff works with Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island to develop web applications that support their self-determination and digital sovereignty. Jeff also volunteers with Protect the Tract: a Haudenosaunee grassroots project that promotes healthy land stewardship of the Haldimand Tract, and is an artist-in-residence at the University of Toronto as a member of the Akni:ho'gwa:s Artist Collective.Jeff has an MA in sociology and a decade of experience supporting Indigenous data sovereignty from the ground up. His focus is improving practical Indigenous data governance through advocacy, counter-mapping, and building appropriate, ethical software that helps Indigenous Peoples get their land, cash, and data back.

Cynthia Khoo is a technology and human rights lawyer at Tekhnos Law, and a senior fellow at the Citizen Lab (University of Toronto). Previously, she was a senior associate at Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology in Washington, DC. Cynthia's legal practice, research, and expertise focuses on how the Internet and emerging technologies impact the human rights of historically marginalized groups, in particular their rights to privacy, equality, and freedom of expression. She holds a J.D. from the University of Victoria and LL.M. (Law and Technology) from the University of Ottawa, where she worked as junior counsel at and represented the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) as an intervener in cases before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood is a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, where he focuses on climate, artificial intelligence and economic policy.

Read the OPEN LETTER to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation from civil society organizations and individuals opposing "National Sprint" consultation on AI strategy

Individual and Organizations can sign onto the Open Letter, that has been re-opened for signatures, here.

Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute. 

Image: Cynthia Khoo, Jeff Doctor, Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood / Used with permission.

Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased. 

Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (Tommy) 

Courage My Friends podcast organizing committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu. 

Produced by: Resh Budhu, Tommy Douglas Institute and Breanne Doyle, rabble.ca. 

Host: Resh Budhu.