Good afternoon, Chair and members of the committee. My name is Jeanette Patell and I am the director of government affairs and public policy for Google in Ottawa. I am joined remotely by my colleagues Tulsee Doshi and Will DeVries. Tulsee is a director and head of product in responsible AI at Google. Will is a director on our privacy legal team and advises the company on global privacy laws and data protection compliance. We appreciate the invitation to appear today and to contribute to your consideration of Bill C-27.
As the committee knows, this is important legislation, and important legislation to get right.
Today, we will present a few remarks on the Consumer Privacy Protection Act and the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act. We will be very happy to answer your questions.
We will present our brief to this committee shortly. We will also maintain our commitments regarding aspects that could be improved and ensure better results for businesses, innovators and Canadian consumers.
When Canadians use our services, they are trusting us with their information. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously at Google, and we protect user privacy with industry-leading security infrastructure, responsible data practices and easy-to-use privacy tools that put our users in control.
Google has long championed smart, interoperable and adaptable data protection regulations—rules that will protect privacy rights, enhance trust in the digital ecosystem and enable responsible innovation. We support the government's efforts to modernize Canada's privacy and data protection regulatory framework and to codify important rights and obligations.
We also believe the CPPA would benefit from further consideration and targeted amendments in certain areas. For example, we agree with others, like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, that consent provisions should be both clarified and tailored to more consequential activities. We also highlight the need for a consistent federal definition of “minors” and clearer protections for minors' rights and freedoms. Improvements to these areas would maintain and enhance Canadian privacy protections, make it easier for businesses to operate across Canada and the world and enable continued innovation throughout the economy.
Turning to the artificial intelligence and data act, as our CEO has said, “AI is too important not to regulate, and too important not to regulate well.” We are encouraged to see governments around the world developing policy frameworks for these new technologies, and we're deeply engaged in supporting these efforts to maximize AI's benefits while minimizing its risks.
Google has been working on AI for a long time, including at our sites in Montreal and Toronto, and in 2017 we reoriented to be an AI-first company. Today AI powers Google search, translate, maps and other services Canadians use every day. We're also using AI to help solve societal issues, from forecasting floods to improving screenings of diseases like breast cancer. Since 2018, our work with these technologies has been guided by our responsible AI principles, which are supported by a robust governance structure and review process. My colleague Tulsee has been at the centre of this work.
Canada has an exceptional opportunity to leverage investments in basic research and artificial intelligence. This committee will contribute to developing a legislative framework for solid public protection measures that will harness economic and societal benefits.
We welcome the government's efforts to establish the right guardrails around AI, and we share some of the concerns that others have raised with this committee. We believe the bill can be thoughtfully amended in ways that support the government's objectives without hindering AI's development and use.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to regulating AI. AI is a multi-purpose technology that takes many forms and spans a wide range of risk profiles. A regulatory framework for these technologies should recognize the vast range of beneficial uses and should weigh the opportunity costs of not developing or deploying AI systems. It should also tailor obligations to the magnitude and likelihood of harm specific to particular use cases. We believe the AIDA should establish a risk-based and proportionate approach tailored to specific applications and focused on ensuring global interoperability via widely accepted compliance tools such as international standards.
We hope to continue to work with the Canadian government, as we have with governments around the world, to build thoughtful, smart regulations that protect Canadians and capture this once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen our economy, position Canadian innovators for success on the global stage and drive transformational scientific breakthroughs.
Thank you again for the invitation to appear. We look forward to answering your questions and continuing this important conversation.