BC + AI backs Geoffrey Hinton’s call for “regulations with teeth.” We’ll keep building open‑source, community‑driven AI in BC and push governments to pass iron‑clad guardrails that protect people, planet and culture.
Why This Moment Matters
In June 2025, Dr. Geoffrey Hinton told Canada—again—that Big Tech would fight any “regulations with teeth” and that public pressure was necessary to deliver meaningful AI guardrails. He pointed to deepfake disinformation, labour disruption and catastrophic-risk scenarios. (BetaKit)
BC public opinion lines up with him:
- 72 % of British Columbians are more concerned than excited about AI.
- 55 % say government (not companies) must set the rules.
Our own public-opinion work found the same trust gap. Adoption can rise while concern rises with it; use alone is not proof that people believe the rules are adequate.
BC + AI’s Position
Build the future, but bolt it down.
British Columbia’s AI movement was born in coffee shops, classrooms and co‑ops—not boardrooms. We love the crazy power of generative tools, but power without guardrails is just another extraction engine.
We echo Dr. Geoffrey Hinton: Canada needs regulations with teeth—now. That means binding rules, open audits and real penalties, co‑designed with Indigenous knowledge‑keepers, workers, artists and technologists.
We ask Ottawa and Victoria to:
- Enact comprehensive AI legislation so high-impact systems are safety-tested and bias-audited before launch, with independent enforcement.
- Mandate algorithmic transparency for any model used in hiring, housing, credit, health or policing.
- Create an AI Environmental Impact Registry—because data centres drink rivers.
- Fund community‑run safety labs in BC to stress‑test frontier models in the open.
BC + AI will keep mapping the mycelial network of creators building responsible tech here. But we refuse to carry water for companies that profit off opacity.
We’re rallying members to show up at town halls, write MPs and prototype open-source safety tools. Culture eats algorithms for breakfast, and the next course is legislation.
Policy Asks in Detail
- Pre‑market licensing for models >10 B parameters or used in critical infrastructure.
- Legally binding bias & safety audits conducted by accredited, publicly listed testers.
- Right to human override in any automated decision that affects health, liberty or livelihood.
- 5‑year public funding line for community safety labs (budget ask: $25 M) housed at BC universities and Indigenous innovation hubs.
- Data‑sovereignty guarantees aligning with OCAP® for Indigenous data.
What BC + AI Can Do
- Public forums: make room for workers, artists, educators, Indigenous leaders and builders to examine policy together.
- Open audit tools: publish checklists, evaluation patterns and red-team practices that smaller organizations can actually use.
- Policy tracking: follow federal and provincial bills, directives and standards in plain language.
- Coalition-building: connect labour, environmental, civil-society and technical voices before positions harden behind closed doors.
Call to Action
Share your red-team findings. Ask vendors for evidence. Ask elected officials which rules have enforcement behind them. Let’s turn BC’s DIY technology culture into a blueprint for regenerative, rights-upholding AI.