BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Artificial intelligence has continued to grow as a popular technological tool to streamline and make processes more efficient, but as use has grown so, too, have concerns about potential transparency and ethical uses.
During the regular Tuesday, March 4 Wheatland County council meeting, council approved the establishment of a new policy regarding the responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“Given the rapid pace of AI development, this policy is designed to remain flexible and forward-thinking, ensuring that it can adapt to new technologies, challenges, and opportunities as they arise,” the agenda reads.
This policy will ensure all use of AI technology will comply with both the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act and Canadian privacy laws. It will also apply to County employees and external vendors working on behalf of the County, as well as council members.
Before AI can be used, it must be reviewed and approved by the County’s Information Services (IS) department, and must comply with the privacy requirements. In order to ensure continued compliance, periodic reviews of the approved AI tools will be conducted; any which are found to be non-compliant will either be removed from County devices or their use suspended in the case of cloud-based or AI tools not directly installed to devices.
The policy also sets guidelines for using generative AI technology for image generation and content creation. While these tools are permitted, the policy states the content “must not replicate or mimic copyrighted materials” and any generated material which has been unaltered must be transparent regarding the use of AI for its creation in order to maintain transparency and follow the County’s ethical standards.
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