Minister of National Defence Remarks at the Responsible AI in the Military domain (REAIM) Summit 2024

September 10, 2024

Thank you, very much and good afternoon colleagues.

I’d like to begin my remarks by offering my sincere thanks to our hosts for all the work that they have done in organizing the summit and bringing this very important discussion together.

At the first REAIM Summit, in the Netherlands in February 2023, Canada supported the “Call to Action” on the responsible development, deployment, and use of AI in the military.

And following the inaugural REAIM Summit, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on the productive work that has emerged since that time.

As you’re all well aware, we are in an era of heightened global competition.

Changing physical, technological and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats, vulnerabilities as well as new opportunities not only for our country but for our Allies and partners around the world.

These new threats are driving AI innovation within our Department of National Defence and our Armed Forces, and Canada remains fully committed to the responsible use of AI, through our endorsement of the Blueprint for Action.

As this new technology continues to become more visible in our operations and day-to-day work, it is critical that we harness this technology both effectively and ethically.

And to ensure Canada is ready to do this, I have announced the launch of our Department of National Defence and our Armed Forces’ AI Strategy in March of this year.

Our strategy aims to position the Canadian Armed Forces and our Department of National Defence as an AI-enabled organization by 2030.

And it envisions the ethical, inclusive, and trusted use of AI to achieve interoperability and strategic advantage in the battlefield while enhancing stewardship of our resources.

Our strategy also emphasizes the importance of cultivating an AI-ready workforce through training and partnership with allies.

This will ensure that AI technologies are not only developed efficiently but also effectively integrated and managed.

As part of our work to implement our AI Strategy, we have established the Department of National Defence and our Canadian Armed Forces AI Centre.

Our intent is that this Centre will become the hub of AI expertise, including for policy development.

It will also accelerate experimentation, testing, evaluation, and support to our Armed Forces members in fielding AI.

And as part of these efforts, Canada remains committed to developing a framework for the responsible use of AI in military contexts while making sure that we address unique ethical challenges ingrained in this technology. This includes mitigating unintended bias, including those related to gender and race.

Canada will ensure that any new AI or AI-enabled technology is developed and implemented in accordance with applicable laws, policies and guidelines, including applicable International Humanitarian Law, international human rights law, and the laws of armed conflict.

We will also ensure that this technology is only used to improve the work of our military personnel but not replace it.

That is why we have committed to ensuring that humans will always remain at the forefront of significant decisions with appropriate accountability mechanisms remaining in place.

Together, these efforts will ensure that our Department and our Military’s use of AI remains safe, ethical and responsible, and lives up to what all of our citizens expect of us.

We know that we must continue to innovate and remain agile to leverage AI’s full potential, but we know that we cannot do this alone.

And going forward, our Department of National Defence will always engage in extensive collaboration with our internal and external partners, with industry, academia, as well as our allies and partners to ensure that our use of AI remains responsible and interoperable.

And only by working together and fielding trusted systems, can we have the greatest opportunity to develop AI-ready forces who can contribute to defending our citizens at home, and our friends around the world.

International engagements such as REAIM reflect Canada’s dedication to fostering a global standard for ethical AI in military operations, and directly supports that collaboration and collective endeavor.

And to that end, I want to express my gratitude and welcome the opportunity to be here, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to ensure that AI technologies are used responsibly within the military domain.

I look very much forward to the outcome of our discussions.

Thank you.