By Justin Brake | The Independent
Newfoundland and Labrador’s New Democratic Party is calling on the provincial government to implement “strict regulations” around the use of artificial intelligence.
“Not only is the use of AI on government reports disgusting, but it’s undermining the confidence in our government to do the work necessary to address the issues in our healthcare system, and truly throughout the province” NDP Leader Jim Dinn said in a news release Monday, in response to The Independent’s Nov. 22 story that revealed the province’s $1.6-million Health Human Resources Plan, commissioned from global consulting firm Deloitte, contained fabricated research citations likely generated by AI.
“The use of AI could change how decisions are being made, when the facts themselves that are presented are false or fabricated,” Dinn said. “The solutions should come from real people – full stop. It needs to come from consulting people on the front lines, not from putting it through an AI system to give the illusion government is prepared to fix the problems.”
Deloitte did not respond to The Independent’s questions about the involvement of AI in the 500-plus page policy document, which remains posted on the government’s website, but the province’s Department of Health and Community Services said Saturday that Deloitte “acknowledged” the errors and “stands by the conclusions and findings in the report.”
The government said Deloitte “has committed to expeditiously conducting a full of review of all the citations and will be required to report back to government with its findings.” Premier Tony Wakeham and the Department of Health and Community Services did not answer questions from The Independent about whether the government would be requesting a refund from Deloitte, or whether it will be considering new policies related to the use of AI in government-commissioned reports.
‘Undermining confidence in our government’
In October Deloitte was caught using AI in a report for the Australian government, prompting the firm to refund part of the fee paid to it with public money. The story made international headlines and sparked conversation about the risks associated with AI usage by consulting firms and in government policy decision-making.
In the wake of that country’s scandal, Labor Party of Australia Senator Deborah O’Neill told The Guardian that Deloitte’s partial refund “looks like a partial apology for substandard work,” and that “[a]nyone looking to contract these firms should be asking exactly who is doing the work they are paying for, and having that expertise and no AI use verified.”
The probable use of AI in Deloitte’s healthcare report for Newfoundland and Labrador “not only calls into question the integrity of the work, but adds a level of distrust amongst healthcare workers, and the public,” Dinn said.
He called the use of AI in government reports “disgusting,” adding it is “undermining the confidence in our government to do the work necessary to address the issues in our healthcare system, and truly throughout the province.
“The use of AI could change how decisions are being made, when the facts themselves that are presented are false or fabricated,” he continued, saying the “solutions should come from real people – full stop. It needs to come from consulting people on the front lines, not from putting it through an AI system to give the illusion government is prepared to fix the problems.”
In light of the Education Accord scandal that unfolded in September, and now the Deloitte scandal, Dinn said government needs to implement regulations that address the use of AI in government reports.
“This is not just about the importance of consulting with actual humans in the field we are trying to address issues in – whether it be education or healthcare – but it’s about the trust from the public that government is doing the work, not giving taxpayers money to groups who are just running it through AI programs,” he said.
“We need to implement strict regulations about how our government uses AI. We are living in a world that is developing fast with AI use on the rise. We need to be proactive and start putting in regulations to not only protect peoples’ jobs, but to instill trust in them that the work government is doing is based in real consultation and human interactions, not made up sources and findings.”
