Good morning Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
Thank you for the invitation to appear before you today as part of your study on the implications of artificial intelligence technologies for the Canadian labour force.
I am Anthony Durocher, deputy commissioner of the Competition Promotion Branch and I am joined by Trevor Mackay, deputy commissioner of the Digital Enforcement and Intelligence Branch.
I would like to provide a quick overview of the Competition Bureau's role, and our work with respect to artificial intelligence.
The bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian consumers and businesses. We administer and enforce Canada's Competition Act, a law of general application that applies to every sector of the economy.
Our enforcement of the Competition Act involves investigating and addressing abuses of market power, anti-competitive mergers, price fixing, bid rigging and deceptive marketing practices. We also advocate to all levels of government in Canada for pro-competitive government rules and regulations.
Competition is vital to our economy. It drives lower prices and innovation while fuelling economic growth. For Canadian workers, maintaining and encouraging competition among employers results in higher wages and salaries, as well as better benefits and employment opportunities for employees.
With respect to AI, the bureau is working hard to keep pace with its growing application in everyday life. There are important questions that need to be asked about the entrenchment of dominant players that control the critical inputs that fuel AI. There's also the very real risk posed by anti-competitive mergers or deliberately unethical conduct of these advanced tools to deceive consumers.
We recently created a new digital enforcement and intelligence branch to better equip the bureau for the challenges and complexities of the digital age. The branch is driving our deeper understanding of competition issues around emerging technologies, including AI. We're actively connecting with experts and learning a lot quickly.
Soon, the bureau will publish a discussion paper for consultation with the public that is focused on competition considerations related to AI. That work, and the feedback we will receive, will continue to hone our thinking even further.
Partnerships are also vital. Last June, the bureau joined forces with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the CRTC to create the Canadian digital regulators forum. Through the creation of this forum, the three agencies will exchange best practices, conduct research and collaborate on matters of common interest, including with respect to AI, which we are prioritizing in our first year.
Before fielding your questions, I would note that the law requires the bureau to conduct investigations in private and keep confidential the information we have. This obligation may prevent us from discussing some past or current investigations.
We appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss our work, and we look forward to your questions.
Thank you.