# Five questions on AI policy

By Steve Jones

Source date: October 6, 2026

This questionnaire was shared on October 6. Its questions and illustrative topics are reproduced for reference; party responses are not included. When adapting it for municipal use, tailor the scope to local authority.

[Read the AI Ethical Futures Lab #8 recap](https://bc-ai.ca/events/2026-10-07-ai-ethical-futures-lab-8#election-questions).

What is your party’s position on each of the following issues?

1. AI infrastructure
2. AI use in delivering government services
3. AI regulation
4. AI’s impact on the economy
5. AI sovereignty

The following are illustrative topics you may choose to address in your answers. You do not need to address any of these directly and may wish to comment on additional topics.

## 1. AI infrastructure

- Criteria for locating and approving data centres
- Electricity demand and impacts on electricity costs
- Environmental impacts, including water use, emissions and land use
- Local economic benefits and jobs during construction and operation
- Ownership requirements or restrictions

## 2. AI use in delivering government services

- Opportunities to improve service quality, accessibility and efficiency
- Impacts on public-sector employment, roles and responsibilities
- Availability of human assistance for people accessing government services
- Human oversight and processes for appealing decisions influenced by AI
- Use of AI in healthcare, including patient care and health-system administration
- Use of AI in teaching and learning in schools and post-secondary institutions

## 3. AI regulation

- Need for laws or regulations governing the development, training and use of AI
- Privacy, consent and creators’ rights in the use of data and content to train AI
- Use of Indigenous knowledge and cultural materials in AI training, including consent and Indigenous control
- Safeguards against unsafe, discriminatory or deceptive uses of AI
- Transparency about when AI is being used and when content is AI-generated
- Accountability, oversight and enforcement when AI causes harm
- Use of AI in election campaigns, including disclosure of AI-generated content and safeguards against impersonation and misinformation

## 4. AI’s impact on the economy

- Opportunities to improve productivity and competitiveness, including for small businesses
- Potential impacts on job creation, job displacement, wages and working conditions
- Education, skills development and support for workers changing roles or careers
- Role of the province in attracting and retaining AI companies, investment and talent
- Implications of regulation for innovation and business competitiveness
- Distribution of economic benefits across workers, businesses and communities

## 5. AI sovereignty

- Location of data storage and processing, and who can access or control that data
- Reliance on foreign AI providers, including exposure to foreign laws and service disruptions for BC governments, businesses, and residents
- Development and use of Canadian-owned AI technology, intellectual property and infrastructure
- Trade-offs involving Canadian control, cost and access to leading technology
- Indigenous control over Indigenous data and cultural knowledge