Toronto's SRI tells Canada: AI disclosure no one can act on is just paperwork
ghadfield · x · 2026-09-24
The Schwartz Reisman Institute (SRI) submitted a response to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's consultation on AI transparency, arguing that transparency should be treated as information infrastructure and offering nine recommendations. The submission draws on work by 20 SRI-affiliated researchers across computer science, law, psychology, economics, and philosophy.
Its premise is contrarian: Canada could require every AI system in the country to publish detailed documentation tomorrow and be no better able to govern AI — disclosure that reaches no one with the authority or capacity to act on it isn't transparency, it's paperwork.
The submission proposes two design principles: information should be matched to recipient and purpose — individuals, adopting organizations, and oversight bodies need different evidence, and no single disclosure document serves all three; and transparency should enable positive action and accountability. The consultation covers AI-generated content, AI interaction, information about AI systems, AI incidents, and AI agents.
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