We can’t ban AI, but we can put guardrails in place to prevent it from going off the rails

Artificial intelligence is fascinating, transformative, and is becoming increasingly embedded in the way we learn, work, and make decisions.

But for every example of innovation and efficiency — like the custom AI assistant recently developed by an accounting professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal — there is another that underscores the need for oversight, literacy and regulation that can keep pace with technology and protect the public.

A recent case in Montreal illustrates this tension. A Quebec man has been fined $5,000 for providing “cited expert citations and non-existent case law” to defend himself in court. It was the first verdict of its kind in the province, although there have been similar cases 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…