Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair affirmed that the country is actively applying AI in defense, while committing that humans still play an important role in decision-making.

CTV reported that at the Military AI Summit held in Seoul, South Korea, Canada and 61 other countries supported a new document on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the defense sector.

Canada is aiming to make the Canadian Armed Forces an “AI-powered” organization by 2030, according to a strategy launched earlier this year, Defence Minister Bill Blair said.

Mr Blair stressed the importance of exploiting AI technology effectively and ethically, asserting that AI is used to support, not replace, military personnel.

“We are committed to ensuring that people are always at the forefront of important decisions with appropriate accountability mechanisms in place,” Blair added.

Defence Minister Bill Blair attends a press conference in Ottawa, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canada's strategy also emphasizes working with allies to ensure that AI is not only developed effectively, but also integrated and managed responsibly.

The document notes that Canada's allies are also rapidly adopting AI, and Canada must work to keep up, as the technology is also becoming more accessible to potential adversaries.

Canada's Vision

At the Seoul conference, countries such as the US, UK, Germany and France supported the action plan on artificial intelligence. However, China, Russia and Israel did not participate in this agreement.

This year’s conference follows last year’s event in the Netherlands, where Canada and several other countries agreed to a document on AI. The new “action plan” says AI could transform every aspect of the military, but also warns of the human, societal and ethical risks of using AI in the military.

The document stresses that the use of AI must comply with existing laws, and that humans must always be responsible and cannot be delegated to machines. It also recommends implementing safeguards to avoid errors or unintended consequences, such as errors in data or algorithms.

By allowing the use of AI in defence, Canada is joining a challenging global technology race. Striking a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring responsible use of AI is essential to maintaining international peace, security and stability.