Canada Warns of Risks Tied to Big Tech's AI Models

JAKARTA - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney considers the United States' restrictions on access to Anthropic's latest AI model to be a warning for many countries. Dependence on a handful of large artificial intelligence models, said Carney, could be a new risk in the digital economy.

As reported by Anadolu Agency quoted Monday, June 15, the US restricted foreign users' access to Anthropic's advanced AI models, including Mythos and Fable, for security reasons.

Big Tech refers to giant technology companies that control major digital services, including computing infrastructure, internet platforms, and AI development. An AI model is an artificial intelligence system that is trained to perform a specific task, such as answering questions, writing text, or analyzing data.

"The situation we are facing together today with Mythos and Fable is something that can happen as a result of excessive dependence on certain models," Carney said during a visit to Ireland.

He emphasized that no party had made a mistake in this case. However, according to Carney, the state and the company would be wrong if they just accepted the situation without learning a lesson.

Carney said Canadian and US officials still had good communication flows on artificial intelligence. Washington, said Carney, had expressed concerns about risks in Anthropic's latest model.

For Canada, this issue is related to a broader agenda, namely reducing dependence on the US in trade and digital infrastructure.

Carney compared the risks in the AI sector with the 2008 global financial crisis. According to him, the AI sector has systemic vulnerabilities because many countries and companies depend on the same models.

"We have something similar in terms of model risk," Carney said. He said countries and companies need to build "backups and diversity" in AI development.

Diversification means not relying on one source, one model, or one technology provider. In the context of AI, this can mean using multiple models, building your own capabilities, or developing more open alternatives.

AI is expected to be one of the main topics of the G7 summit in France. Carney said he had discussed the issue with French President Emmanuel Macron.

In the same report, Anadolu Agency said that a number of AI executives, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, were expected to attend the G7 meeting.

"We need to make progress," Carney said. However, he cautioned that the G7 would not immediately produce a complete solution.

The G7 meeting will be attended by the leaders of the US, France, Germany, the UK, Canada, Italy, Japan, and the European Union. In addition to AI, the forum will also discuss trade relations, critical mineral supply chains, and the war in Ukraine.

The supply chain of important minerals refers to the supply of strategic raw materials for modern technologies, such as batteries, chips, electric vehicles, and clean energy devices.