Problems and Purpose

The People’s Consultation on AI was created to address concerns about the legitimacy, inclusiveness, and depth of Canada’s official consultation processes on artificial intelligence governance. Civil society organizations, researchers, labour unions and other advocacy groups argued that existing federal consultation timelines were overly compressed, industry-weighted, and insufficiently representative of public interest perspectives on AI policy . In response, the initiative sought to provide a more participatory, transparent, and accessible forum for public input on how AI should be governed in Canada, particularly with respect to ethics, human rights, accountability, and democratic oversight. The consultation’s purpose was not only to collect submissions but to model a more inclusive approach to AI governance aligned with democratic participation principles.

Background History and Context

The consultation emerged in the context of Canada’s rapidly evolving national AI policy landscape and debates over the federal government’s approach to AI strategy development and public engagement. Critics, including academics and civil society actors, expressed concern that a short “national sprint” consultation process limited meaningful participation and risked privileging industry stakeholders over broader public input [1]. These critiques reflect wider global debates about the governance of AI, where policymaking often outpaces public deliberation and where participatory mechanisms struggle to keep up with technological change.

The People’s Consultation on AI was launched in January 2026 as an independent, parallel consultation designed to broaden the scope of engagement and provide a platform for diverse voices—including civil society organizations, researchers, and members of the public—to contribute to discussions on AI governance in Canada [2].

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

The People’s Consultation on AI is a civil society–led initiative supported by a coalition of advocacy organizations, legal scholars, researchers, and public interest groups concerned with the societal impacts of AI. Participating organizations include digital rights and civil liberties groups that focus on ethical technology governance, democratic accountability, and human rights in emerging technologies [2].

Rather than being government-run, the consultation was explicitly positioned as an independent process intended to complement and critique formal policymaking consultations.

Participant Recruitment and Selection

Participation in the consultation was open and inclusive, allowing submissions from individuals, community groups, civil society organizations, and experts. The initiative encouraged contributions from diverse publics, including those traditionally underrepresented in technology policy discussions.

Recruitment occurred primarily through public calls for submissions, outreach via partner networks, and dissemination through academic, advocacy, and civic engagement communities.

Methods and Tools Used

The consultation uses a mixed-method public engagement model centered on:

1. Written submissions from individuals and organizations
2. Public discussion and community-led dialogue processes, with provided guidelines and resources
3. Online engagement platforms to collect input
4. Thematic synthesis of responses for policy relevance

The process supports transparency through documentation, with submissions and outputs intended for public sharing and policy influence.

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

On October 31, 2025, an open letter, signed by over 100 organizations and individuals, protesting the public engagement process undertaken by the Government of Canada's AI Strategy Task Force. The letter described the "demonstrated risks and harms of technologies currently classified as AI", and called for significant changes, including: an extended consultation deadline, reconstituting of the task force itself to be more equitable, and to re-write its survey to reduce bias [2].

The People's Consultation on AI was created as a separate process, independent of the Government of Canada's task force. It opened on January 2026, collecting written responses from both individuals and groups via an online form. Resources were provided, along with a template for submissions. The consultation platform also provided resources for small group engagements and group submissions. Suggested engagement processes and tools were provided, including a local facilitation guide. The guide encouraged customization of engagement processes depending on group size and context [2].

The consultation invited participants (both individuals and groups) to reflect on key questions related to AI governance, including regulation, accountability, equity, and societal impacts. Contributors were encouraged to draw on lived experience, professional expertise, and community perspectives. The process functioned as a distributed deliberative space rather than a single event, allowing asynchronous participation and iterative input over time. Organizers also framed the consultation as a corrective participatory mechanism, explicitly positioning it as a response to perceived limitations in official consultation processes and as an effort to centre public interest perspectives in AI policy debates.

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

The primary intended outcome of the consultation is to synthesize public input into recommendations that can inform AI governance in Canada. By producing a publicly accessible body of submissions and analysis, the initiative aims to increase transparency and democratic legitimacy in AI policymaking.

Beyond formal policy influence, the consultation has contributed to broader public discourse about participatory AI governance and the role of civil society in shaping technology policy. It also highlights how independent consultations can emerge when stakeholders perceive institutional consultation processes as insufficient or exclusionary.

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The People’s Consultation on AI illustrates several key lessons for democratic innovation and participatory governance in technological policy domains. First, compressed timelines and expert-dominated consultation formats can undermine perceived legitimacy, prompting parallel civic-led processes. Second, open and networked consultation models can expand participation but may face challenges in representativeness and policy uptake.

For the participatory democracy field, the initiative is significant because it foregrounds AI not only as a policy subject but as a governance challenge that requires new participatory infrastructures. It demonstrates how civil society can mobilize participatory processes to influence emerging technology governance and raises methodological questions about inclusivity, digital participation, and the co-evolution of AI and democratic engagement.

See Also

References

[1] Betakit. “Canada’s new AI strategy is off to a bad start.”

[2] People’s Consultation on AI. Official website and launch materials.

External Links

https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/advisory-council-artificial-intelligence/en/ai-strategy-taskforce

https://vancouver.bc-ai.net/task-force-response

https://iclmg.ca/ai-peoples-consultation-launch/

https://ccla.org/press-release/civil-society-innitiative-announces-public-consultation-on-ai/

https://cupe.ca/cupe-criticizes-federal-ai-consultation-process

Notes

This case represents an ongoing consultation process launched in 2026. Outcomes and policy impacts are still developing.

Contributor Positionality Statements

First author, Jesi Carson (she/her) is a cis-gendered person of European settler heritage, residing on the unceded traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, colonially known as Vancouver, Canada. Mother of one, she is a self-employed design researcher, and has served as a team member of the Participedia Project since 2011. Jesi is personally interested in this case, as a participant of the BC AI Ecosystem, and will be facilitating a participatory workshop to contribute to the People's Consultation on AI with the AI Ethical Futures Lab community on March 4, 2026.