The Digital Governance Council (DGC) has announced an expansion in its AI Ethics Advisory Panel to include AI ethics impact and data governance maturity assessment reviews that seek to offer actionable guidance for participating organizations.
These reviews aim to help these organizations mitigate ethical and privacy risks, improve their governance practices, and consider implementing emerging best practices, according to a media release from the DGC.
The council encouraged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to develop AI or integrate such technologies into their workflows to join this initiative, which aims to offer clear and tangible benefits for participants.
The DGC added that the program aims to help SMEs face their unique challenges, enhance their ethical foundations, improve their governance and regulatory compliance, address operational risks, foster trust with their clients and partners, gain a competitive foothold in the market, and model leadership in responsible, ethical, transparent use of AI.
According to the council, under the program, an SME can submit its internal AI ethics impact and data governance maturity assessment, receive tailored strategic feedback to help them reduce ethical and privacy risks, and apply recommendations to improve their projects.
“As AI adoption accelerates, SMEs play an important role in shaping technologies that serve the public good,” the DGC said in its media release. “By engaging with the DGC’s advisory panel and training programs, SMEs can strengthen their internal practices, meet rising ethical expectations, and contribute to building a more trustworthy, responsible AI ecosystem.”
More on panel
The DGC said its AI Ethics Advisory Panel, established last year, seeks to assist organizations in dealing with AI’s ethical complexities.
The council noted that it was also looking for professionals knowledgeable in areas such as AI ethics, governance, data privacy, and law to join the panel. The DGC explained that panel members could help shape ethical practices when using AI in Canada.
In its media release, the DGC added that it offers two half-day virtual courses on AI ethics, with the first focusing on governance and the second on deployment. The council said these courses aim to offer both foundational and advanced insights regarding responsible AI governance and best practices.