B.C. Premier Calls Out Federal Bill's AI Blind Spot
British Columbia Premier David Eby isn't holding back on the federal government's newly tabled online harms legislation — and his criticism zeroes in on a glaring gap that many Canadians may not have considered: AI chatbots.
Eby says the bill, meant to protect people from harmful online content, is "a miss" when it comes to regulating how AI chatbots handle users who express dangerous or concerning behaviour. Specifically, he's pushing for mandatory reporting requirements that would obligate tech companies to alert police when users' interactions with AI systems raise red flags.
What the Bill Does — and Doesn't — Do
The federal online harms bill takes aim at social media platforms, targeting issues like cyberbullying, non-consensual intimate images, and content that exploits children. By most accounts, those are long-overdue protections.
But Eby's concern is that the legislation hasn't kept pace with where the real threat is evolving. AI chatbots — the kind that millions of Canadians now interact with daily for everything from homework help to emotional support — operate in a largely unregulated grey zone. Unlike a social media post visible to other users, a conversation between a person and an AI is private, one-on-one, and often deeply personal.
That's exactly what makes them potentially dangerous, Eby argues. If someone expresses intent to harm themselves or others in a chat with an AI system, there's currently no obligation for the company behind that chatbot to do anything about it.
A Growing Concern Across Canada
Eby isn't alone in raising the alarm. Digital safety advocates, mental health professionals, and lawmakers across the country have increasingly flagged AI chatbots as a frontier that existing legislation wasn't built to handle.
Several high-profile cases internationally — including incidents where young people developed troubling parasocial relationships with AI companions — have prompted calls for clearer guardrails. Canada's online harms bill was seen by many as an opportunity to get ahead of those risks domestically.
For now, that opportunity appears to have been partially missed, at least in Eby's view.
What Happens Next
The bill will still need to move through the full legislative process, meaning there's room for amendments. Eby and B.C. officials, alongside advocacy groups like the one led by Susan Holy who has pushed for mandatory reporting mechanisms, are expected to continue pressuring Ottawa to strengthen the AI provisions before the bill becomes law.
Whether the federal government will listen remains to be seen. But with AI becoming an increasingly central part of how Canadians communicate, work, and seek support, the pressure to close this regulatory gap is only going to grow.
For Canadians who interact regularly with AI tools — and that number is rising fast — the stakes of getting this legislation right couldn't be higher.
Source: CBC Politics
