In today’s world, the generation, analysis and application of data is happening at a faster pace than ever before. This has a significant impact on almost every aspect of our lives, from finance to healthcare, education, recreation, manufacturing and retailing.
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have brought about new opportunities and technologies that are transforming our way of life. However, concerns related to the reliability of these systems, privacy and ethics are becoming increasingly important and require attention. Standardization has a crucial role to play to ensure the responsible and safe use of data and AI.
The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is at the forefront of developing standardization solutions for data governance and AI, and is leading the way towards a more secure future.
AI and Data Governance Standardization Collaborative
SCC created the Canadian Data Governance Standardization Collaborative in 2019 to accelerate the development of industry-wide standardization strategies for data governance. Canada’s Digital Charter identifies standardization as a tool to support innovation and ensure that Canadian companies remain competitive around the world.
The Collaborative consisted of members from government, industry, civil society, Indigenous organizations, academia and standards development organizations. Together, they developed the Canadian Data Governance Standardization Roadmap, which describes the current and desired Canadian standardization landscape. It also makes 35 recommendations to address gaps and explore new areas where standards and conformity assessment are needed.
In March 2023, we expanded this Collaborative to address national and international issues related to both AI and data governance. Under the new AI and Data Governance (AIDG) Standardization Collaborative, we will support the development of standardization strategies that are aligned with Canada’s priorities and enable the Canadian AI and data ecosystem to scale up on the international scene.
The Collaborative will build on the standardization roadmap that was developed and the white paper from Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, “Making signal from noise: The state of global AI standardization and what it means for Canada.”
The Collaborative will focus on:
- standardization strategies based on a demonstrated, multi-stakeholder need, that will support the Canadian economy, competitiveness, and trade, particularly for micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises
- supporting indigenous leadership in the AI and data economy
- building awareness on AI and data standardization activities
- securing consistency across domestic and international standards, authorities and regimes
- providing market structure and clarity for developers
- providing a platform for Canadian innovators to shape technology advancement and responsible AI