Justin Trudeau has called on governments, the private sector, and ordinary citizens to come together against the misuse of artificial intelligence.
The prime minister warned that unless actions is taken, people will utilize the technology to continue polluting social media with "empty slop and cunning disinformation."
"We — governments, the private sector, and civil society — need to think responsibly about how AI is shaping the world," Trudeau said during an address at the Sommet pour l'action sur l'Intelligence Artificielle in Paris. "We cannot let AI pollute social media with empty slop and cunning disinformation."
He went on to warn that unless something is done, the technology would further deepen the rifts "between the haves, the have-nots, and the have-yachts."
"We cannot let it drive our citizens further towards cynicism, populism, hopelessness, and hatred," Trudeau added. "AI could unleash the potential of every human being to contribute, to create, to positively impact the world around us, but only if we choose to shape it that way."
He said leaders "have a choice to make," and that it must be made "now."
"If we don't meet this moment, our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren will judge us harshly for it," Trudeau warned, noting that legislation mustn't be too "heavy-handed" and still allow for "innovation and progress."
The prime minister also made it clear he wanted AI to serve everyone, not only the rich.
"We must put the middle-class at the centre of AI, and AI in service of the middle-class," he said, "allowing people to work smarter, not harder, to do more with less."
Trudeau added that AI needs to do more than just "imitating what creators, builders, and artists already do so well," and focus on making life easier for everyday people.
"We need to make sure," he concluded, "that the profits, the power, the benefits that come from this new technology are fairly shared."