09/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/05/2024 14:44
On September 16, 2024, the Competition Bureau will host "Canada's Competition Summit 2024: Market Dynamics in the AI Era". Held in Ottawa and virtually, this full-day event will bring together domestic and international competition authorities, regulators, businesses, non-governmental organizations, lawyers and academics to understand and address the economic implications of AI.
September 5, 2024 - GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau
On September 16, 2024, the Competition Bureau will host "Canada's Competition Summit 2024: Market Dynamics in the AI Era". Held in Ottawa and virtually, this full-day event will bring together domestic and international competition authorities, regulators, businesses, non-governmental organizations, lawyers and academics to understand and address the economic implications of AI.
It will feature a virtual keynote speech by Lina Khan, Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
In addition to the keynote, Summit 2024 will include an introductory overview, two panels, a fireside chat, a regulators roundtable and a debate.
Talk: AI and competition 101
Joel Blit, Professor of Economics at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation will set the tone for the day by providing an overview of AI and its impact on the economy.
Panel 1: The AI Effect - How is AI changing the competition game?
The opening panel will explore AI's impact on competitive dynamics in the marketplace.
Moderator:
The Honourable Colin Deacon, Independent Senator, Senate of Canada
Panelists:
Dr. Jennifer Quaid, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
Dr. Robert Clark, Professor, Queen's University
Dr. Robin Shaban, Associate Partner, Deetken Insight
Benjamin Bergen, President, Council of Canadian Innovators
Fireside chat: The rise of AI - Risks for consumers
This fireside chat will focus on some of the current and potential future risks of AI for consumers.
Moderator:
Vasiliki "Vass" Bednar, Executive Director, Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University
Speaker:
Siddharth Hiregowdara, Co-founder, CivAI
Keynote address
Lina Khan, Chairperson, Federal Trade Commission
Canadian Regulators Roundtable: A whole-of-government approach to digital markets
This roundtable will explore how competition intersects with privacy, telecommunications and cultural considerations.
Moderator:
Alexandra Posadzki, Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Participants:
Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, Competition Bureau of Canada
Philippe Dufresne, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Drew Olsen, Vice-Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Copyright Board of Canada
Panel 2: International approaches to competition and AI
Panelists will discuss the role of competition authorities in their respective markets in addressing AI.
Moderator:
Ellen Creighton, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, International Affairs Directorate, Competition Bureau of Canada
Panelists:
Carlota Reyners Fontana, Director, Directorate-General for Competition, Markets and cases II: Information Technology, Communication and Media, European Commission
Carlos García Cueva, General Director of Market Intelligence, Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE)
Ori Schwartz, Head of Competition Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
A representative of the United States Department of Justice
Debate: Yea or Nay - Can Big Tech be trusted with AI?
Two teams will square off to debate whether or not big tech companies can be trusted with using AI.
Moderator:
Majid Charania, Director of Compliance, Competition Bureau of Canada
Debaters:
Brianna Workman, Law Student, University of Ottawa
Keldon Bester, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project (CAMP)
Umang Khandelwal, Associate, Davies Ward Philips & Vineberg LLP
Makaila Kelly, Law Student, Lincoln Alexander School of Law
The Competition Bureau continues its work to better understand AI, how it might affect competition, how to address its potential competitive harms, and how to promote competition in AI markets.
Summit 2024 is the fifth annual summit hosted by the Bureau. The summits aim to expand the Bureau's knowledge, hear from experts and keep the Bureau at the forefront of issues in the Canadian economy.
The Bureau's previous summits focused on:
how competition considerations can be factored into policy development across all levels of Canadian government;
the role of competition in the transition to a greener economy;
how competitive markets can play a role in driving economic growth following the COVID-19 pandemic; and
best practices and tools that can be used to enforce competition in the digital era.
In March 2024, the Bureau also published a discussion paper on artificial intelligence (AI) and competition for public consultation. The consultation closed on July 7, 2024.
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The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian consumers and businesses. Competition drives lower prices and innovation while fueling economic growth.