Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, members of the committee.
Thank you for inviting me to contribute to this important discussion on the challenges posed by artificial intelligence regulation.
For more than 30 years, I have been working with small and medium-sized organizations, particularly in the tourism, private education, culture and municipal services sectors in Quebec and internationally. These are often small businesses with fewer than 100 employees that want to adopt artificial intelligence to increase efficiency, but they don’t always know where to start, what to use and what risks to avoid.
My first observation is that regulatory uncertainty creates paralysis. SMEs don’t have legal teams or cybersecurity specialists. They want to do the right thing, but they don’t always have a concrete understanding of what is allowed, what is not recommended or what could lead to non-compliance. A framework that is too technical or rigid risks creating a digital divide between well-resourced organizations that can move forward and those that cannot.
My second observation is that there must be a balance between privacy and innovation. SMEs currently use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini or Canva AI without a full understanding of how their data is being processed. Policies change rapidly, interfaces evolve and it is difficult for SMEs to keep up. A set of simple and visual Canadian guidelines on consent, anonymization and data minimization tailored to small organizations would be extremely useful.
Third, digital literacy continues to be a big challenge. For the past few years, I have been providing artificial intelligence training to managers, municipal organizations, artists, restaurateurs and hoteliers. I have observed the same phenomenon everywhere: there is a real and immense enthusiasm, but people have limited practical knowledge. Employees use artificial intelligence in their personal lives, but rarely do so in a structured setting at work. Without training or support, artificial intelligence risks being misused or not used at all.
Fourth, the transformation of search engines into artificial intelligence engines has created a new challenge of digital discoverability. Businesses are now wondering how to be visible in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini and how their content is cited or not cited by these platforms. The lack of transparency complicates matters for SMEs which simply want to exist in this evolving ecosystem.
Lastly, a proportionate compliance framework is needed. SMEs now mostly use artificial intelligence to write texts, respond to customers, automate administrative tasks or create visuals. These are low-risk uses. Regulations should therefore be tiered: heavy and strict for systems that have a societal impact, but simple, pragmatic and accessible for everyday use in small organizations.
In short, SMEs want to adopt artificial intelligence, but they don’t want to be left to their own devices. They need a clear framework, adequate support and tools that are tailored to their reality. Regulations must protect Canadians while allowing small organizations across the country to innovate, remain competitive and take full advantage of this technological revolution.
Thank you. I will be more than happy to answer your questions.