Empowering Small Business with Responsible AI Innovation

AI isn’t just for big tech. Small businesses across Canada are using AI to generate new ideas, reach new customers and improve their margins by doing much more for less. AI is fast becoming the most effective tool in your digital toolbox. 

We’re still very early in the era of AI and the potential to improve small business outcomes in Canada is enormous. However, sweeping over-regulation could slow progress in Canada by creating costly barriers to adoption and innovation. This disproportionately impacts small businesses that are beginning to implement AI solutions, but don’t have the time, money or capacity to deal with new compliance regimes. Smart regulations are necessary and it’s important that small businesses like yours are taken into account in these discussions.

Digital Main Street knows that Canada needs a flexible, risk-based AI regulatory framework that focuses on:

• • Eliminating bias and discriminatory outcomes.
  • Stopping illegal or malicious activity.
  • Protecting consumer privacy and data security.
  • Supporting the responsible development and deployment of AI in Canada.

With smart, risk-based guidelines for AI, small businesses across Canada can be empowered to use AI responsibly and stay competitive on the global stage.

Protecting the Digital Tools Small Businesses Are Using to Grow

Canadian small businesses leverage digital marketing and analytics to compete and grow, both at home and internationally. However, constantly evolving, and often conflicting, provincial and federal privacy laws can make compliance difficult, especially for small businesses. In today’s digital economy, this challenge is amplified because local businesses often operate across the country, requiring them to navigate a wide-range of different regional rules.

Most small businesses lack the legal resources to manage these overlapping regulations. As a result, overly restrictive data policies threaten to make targeted advertising less effective, which could significantly increase marketing costs for small business owners who depend on efficient, affordable digital tools.

To protect the small business ecosystem, policymakers must collaborate on a harmonized, national privacy framework. A consistent, principles-based approach will protect consumer data without creating unnecessary hurdles to the innovation and growth of Canada’s small businesses.