Canadians' Perspectives on Governing AI Chatbots - A Policy Brief

Executive Summary

This report adds to an evidence-based mandate for AI chatbot regulation in Canada, drawing on nationally representative survey data from 1,454 Canadians and mapping public preferences onto established international regulatory frameworks. The findings demonstrate overwhelming public concern across all surveyed risk categories and clear attribution of accountability to AI companies, providing democratic legitimacy for mandatory intervention.

Survey data reveal that over 70% of Canadians express concern about every major surveyed chatbot risk, including exposure to misinformation (81%), privacy violations (79%), impacts on critical thinking (79%), mental health deterioration (78%), learning deficits (75%), emotional dependency (75%), and harmful behaviors (73%). Most significantly, 56% of respondents hold AI companies primarily responsible when youth are harmed, far exceeding attribution to parents (12%), youth themselves (9%), or government (8%).

This assignment of corporate accountability establishes clear public expectations for governance. 69% want stricter regulations, while 74-80% support specific safeguards including age verification, parental oversight, data limits, and content restrictions. These policy preferences could be accounted for through a series of coordinated interventions: safety-by-design obligations in AI legislation, strengthening privacy protections through rights-based reform, implementing proportionate age assurance mechanisms, and establishing independent oversight with enforceable transparency requirements.