The Competition Bureau has announced that it will host a competition and artificial intelligence summit on September 16.
According to the Bureau, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is increasing across numerous sectors of the economy. This growth is prompting governments and competition authorities worldwide to seek solutions to the challenges it presents.
On September 16, the Competition Bureau will host "Canada's Competition Summit 2024: Market Dynamics in the AI Era." This event, held in Ottawa and virtually, aims to gather domestic and international competition authorities, regulators, businesses, non-governmental organizations, lawyers, and academics. A key feature of the summit is a virtual keynote speech by Lina Khan, chair of the US Federal Trade Commission.
Summit 2024 will address several topics, including the current AI landscape, AI's impacts on competition across markets, and international and domestic regulatory approaches. The event will feature two panels, a regulators' roundtable, and a debate. Canadians are encouraged to attend virtually.
Summit 2024 is the fifth annual summit hosted by the Bureau. These summits aim to expand the Bureau’s knowledge, gather insights from stakeholders, and ensure the Bureau remains at the forefront of issues impacting the Canadian economy. Previous summits have addressed integrating competition considerations into policy development across all levels of Canadian government, the role of competition in the transition to a greener economy, how competitive markets can drive economic growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, and best practices and tools for enforcing competition in the digital era.
Canada's Competition Summit 2024 aims to bring together key stakeholders to discuss and navigate the dynamic intersection of AI and market competition.
The Competition Bureau is working to understand AI's implications for competition, address potential competitive harms, and promote competition in AI markets. Recently, the Bureau published a discussion paper on AI and competition, inviting public consultation, which closed on July 7. The Bureau emphasized that as AI continues to influence industries, collaborative efforts are essential for developing regulatory frameworks that balance innovation and fair competition.