The Canadian government is preparing new rules on how copyright holders should be compensated when their work is used by AI systems, as it also weighs age restrictions on social media and tighter regulation of AI chatbots.

Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, was speaking at Web Summit Vancouver. He talked up the opportunity around artificial intelligence following a series of splashy announcements including C$66M of funding for over forty AI projects, and a huge new AI data center in British Columbia developed with Telus.

Solomon also opened up on the challenge of controlling AI and social media, in terms of protecting the public and also stakeholders from the film, TV and music industries.

“We’re open to the opportunities about social media and AI and we’re candid about the concerns,” Solomon said. “We are looking very carefully at age restrictions on social media, as Manitoba and Australia have done. We’re looking at AI chat bots. I need not remind anyone about the horrific tragedy of Tumbler Ridge,” he said, referencing a fatal mass-shooting in which the attacker’s account had been flagged by OpenAI for review but was not referred to law enforcement at the time.

“Our AI Safety Institute is already studying the safety protocols inside OpenAI,” the Minister said. He added: “We’ll have more legislation on algorithmic transparency for automated decision systems, on right to deletion. We’re looking very closely at that for deep fakes.”

Solomon recently hosted a summit with Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, in Banff, attended by filmmakers as well as people from the music business and union officials. The upshot? New rules on copyright look to be on the way.

“We are setting up the first AI and culture advisory board, so we have regular input from the culture sector, from writers on copyright issues, and we will be soon coming forward with some recommendations… we’re coming to ground on the idea of what’s the best way to have compensation on that.”