Artificial intelligence is fascinating, transformative, and is becoming increasingly embedded in the best way we learn, work, and make decisions.
But for each example of innovation and efficiency – like this custom AI assistant recently developed by an accounting professor on the Université du Québec à Montréal – there’s one other that underscores the necessity for oversight, literacy and regulation that may keep pace with technology and protect the general public.
A recent case in Montreal illustrates this tension. A Quebec man was fined $5,000 for “producing expert citations and case law that didn’t exist.”” to defend himself in court. However, it was the primary verdict of its kind within the province Similar cases have also occurred in other countries.
AI can democratize access to learning, knowledge and even justice. But without ethical guidelines, appropriate training, expertise, and basic literacy skills, the very tools designed to empower people can just as easily undermine trust and backfire.
Why guard rails are necessary
Guard rails are the systems, standards and controls who make sure that artificial intelligence is used safely, fairly and transparently. They allow innovation to thrive while stopping chaos and damage.
The European Union was the primary major jurisdiction to adopt a comprehensive framework for regulating AI EU law on artificial intelligencewhich got here into force in August 2024. The law divides AI systems into risk-based categories and introduces rules in phases to offer organizations time to arrange for compliance.
(AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
The law makes some applications of AI unacceptable. This includes social scoring and in real time Facial recognition in public spaces, which were banned in February.
High-risk AI utilized in critical areas reminiscent of education, hiring, healthcare or policing is subject to strict requirements. From August 2026, these systems must meet standards for data quality, transparency and human control.
General-purpose AI models have been subject to regulatory requirements since August 2025. Limited risk systems, reminiscent of chatbots, must disclose that users are interacting with an algorithm.
The most vital principle is that the greater the potential impact on rights or security, the stronger the obligations. The goal just isn’t to decelerate innovation, but to carry it accountable.
Crucially, the law also requires each EU member state to establish no less than one such facility operational regulatory sandbox. These are controlled frameworks by which corporations can develop, train and test AI systems under supervision before they’re fully deployed.
For small and medium-sized businesses that lack the resources for a comprehensive compliance infrastructure, sandboxes provide a path to innovation and capability constructing.
Canada continues to be catching up in terms of AI
Canada has yet to create a comprehensive legal framework for AI. The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act was introduced in 2022 as a part of Bill C-27, a package generally known as the Digital Charter Implementation Act. It was intended to create a legal framework for responsible AI development, but was never adopted.
Canada must now act quickly to treatment the situation. This includes strengthening AI governance, investing in public and skilled education, and ensuring that diverse voices – educators, ethicists, labor experts and civil society – are involved in shaping AI laws.
A phased approach much like the EU framework could provide certainty while supporting innovation. The highest-risk applications could be banned immediately, while others would face increasingly stringent requirements, giving corporations time to adapt.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Regulatory sandboxes could help small and medium-sized corporations innovate responsibly Building urgently needed capability within the face of ongoing labor shortages.
The federal government recently launched the AI Strategy Task Force to speed up the adoption of the technology within the country. It is anticipated to present recommendations on competitiveness, productivity, education, labor and ethics inside a couple of months.
But as several experts have identified, The task force focuses heavily on industry voicesrisking a narrow view of the social impact of AI.
Guardrails alone will not be enough
Regulations can set boundaries and protect people from harm, but guardrails alone will not be enough. The other necessary foundation of an ethical and inclusive AI society is the event of literacy skills and competencies.
AI literacy underpins, and is rapidly becoming, our ability to challenge AI tools and content Basic requirement in most professions.
Still, Nearly half of employees using AI tools within the workplace received no training and over a 3rd received minimal guidance from their employers. Fewer than one in ten small or medium-sized businesses offer formal AI training programs.
As a result, adoption is informal and sometimes unsupervised, putting staff and organizations in danger.
AI competence operates on three levels. Basically, it's about understanding what AI is, how it really works, and when its results must be questioned, including awareness of bias, privacy, and data sources. Middle literacy includes using generative tools reminiscent of ChatGPT or Copilot. At the forefront are advanced skills where people design algorithms with fairness, transparency and accountability in mind.
To update AI skills, you should put money into upskilling and reskilling that mixes critical considering with practical AI use.
As a university lecturer, I often see AI primarily as one Risk of fraudrelatively than as a tool that students must learn to make use of responsibly. Although it could actually be abused, educators must protect academic integrity while preparing students to work with these systems.
Balancing innovation and responsibility
We cannot ban or ignore AI, but neither can we allow the race for efficiency to outpace our ability to administer its consequences or address problems with fairness, accountability and trust.
Competence development and guardrails must move forward together. Canada needs diverse voices on the table, real investments that match its ambitions, and robust accountability embedded in all AI laws, standards and protections.
More AI tools are being developed to support learning and work and far more costly mistakes will arise from blind trust in systems we don’t fully understand. The query just isn’t whether AI will spread, but whether we’ll create the guardrails and skills obligatory for it.
AI can complement specialist knowledge, but not replace it. As technology evolves, so must our ability to know, query and align it with the common good.
We must mix innovation with ethics, speed with reflection and enthusiasm with education. Guardrails and skills development, including basic AI skills, will not be opposing forces; They are the 2 hands that support progress.
