A Brandon University professor has been appointed to a new provincial task force aimed at regulating artificial intelligence and protecting property created in Manitoba.
"We want Manitoba talent to be staying in Manitoba," Prof. Gautam Srivastava told the Sun on Thursday. "We want Manitoba ideas to be grown in Manitoba."
Srivastava, who specializes in computer science at Brandon University, said the Innovation and Productivity Task Force was created to tell the provincial government what should happen to regulate intellectual property online and improve productivity in Manitoba. The task force has six months to make a recommendation.
"The best way to put it is creating an ecosystem that can drive Manitoba in a positive direction to improve innovation," said Srivastava.
He said while he is focused on the AI aspect of the task force, it's mainly about making sure that what's created by people here can't easily be taken by companies or artificial intelligence.
Srivastava used Instagram as an example of why regulation needs to happen. When users upload a photo to the app or message a friend, the data are stored online. The app and company then own what you uploaded.
"That's all data, and so Instagram, as soon as you've uploaded that data into Instagram, they now control those images," he said. "It's outside of your control. It's gone."
He said apps like Instagram and Facebook, which are owned by Meta, use the data people upload.
"They're using the images that you upload through AI algorithms to better tailor your Instagram feed of images that you see and content that you see, based on your interactions with other content and content that you upload."
Srivastava said the task force wants to make sure the data people from Manitoba are uploading has proper privacy and governance. Right now, regulations are set based on where the parent company is based, which for Instagram is California.
"What seems to be lacking is general direction and leadership," said Srivastava. "How do we turn it into something that's protected with very little to no guidance in that?
"Manitoba wants to create an ecosystem that encourages our youth, our educated youth out of university, our youth coming out of K to 12 to create those ideas and have those ideas patented, and that intellectual property to stay protected in Manitoba, for Manitobans."
Srivastava said the timing for this task force is good, not only with AI becoming a bigger part of people's lives, but because Canada has a new prime minister in Mark Carney.
"It's a good time for provinces like Manitoba to put a foothold as far as innovation and intellectual property," he said. "And put an understanding in the hands of not only our government, but also Manitobans as far as what is AI and what should that look like moving forward."
Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz is co-chairing the task force, along with entrepreneur and philanthropist Jim Balsillie, who was co-CEO of Blackberry and currently works in other innovation-related roles.
"With smarter government and homegrown solutions to the problems we face and a strategy to advance Manitobans' ownership of IP and data, our province can play a leading role in helping move our country forward and growing the innovation and research ecosystem here in Manitoba," Moroz said in a press release.
Srivastava said his expertise will focus on data privacy and AI for the task force. He said he's also the only member from outside of Winnipeg.
He said he'll make sure to keep in mind the needs of everyone outside Winnipeg, and especially for people in Westman.
The other members of the task force include Adam Herstein, Clara Buelow, Jacqueline Keena, Gerry Price, Debra Jonasson-Young and Dr. Ernest Cholakis.
Reposted with permission from the Brandon Sun.
