The government of New Brunswick, Canada, has entered the world of artificial intelligence (AI) with the implementation of a website called ChatGNB that鈥檚 available exclusively for government employees.
While there aren鈥檛 many details on exactly how it鈥檚 being used, the Department of Finance and Treasury Board, which has been piloting the program for the past year, said it鈥檚 mainly being used for translating internal documents. But this has some translators concerned.
鈥淭here are certain ethical considerations here that we should take into account, because translators fear that they may lose jobs, or that their source of income may diminish,鈥 said Sergey Petrov, a certified translator and the president of the Corporation of Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters of New Brunswick.
Petrov said many of the corporation鈥檚 110 members are individual contractors, and some may get less work if AI is used in their place. 鈥淚t can make your work a lot easier, but there are some valid concerns,鈥 he said.
Government officials said ChatGNB was created with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and that it鈥檚 being used because it鈥檚 more private and secure than other AI models out there. 鈥淭he tool was developed to address the need for meeting privacy and security requirements not previously available from commercial services, while safely exploring benefits from AI,鈥 said a statement from a representative with the Department of Finance.
The Department of Finance said that documents like collective agreements, contracts, policies, and external-facing documents will continue to be translated by Service New Brunswick鈥檚 translation services, even as AI develops.
Petrov said the government told the corporation that 鈥渆mployees are encouraged to review translations for accuracy and formatting.鈥 But he doesn鈥檛 think that guideline goes far enough and said the corporation will be issuing a formal statement suggesting the government require AI translations to be reviewed and corrected by a real human.
鈥淔or me, this is an immediate red flag,鈥 Petrov said. 鈥淏ecause if you want to produce something that鈥檚 intended for public use, or that has a serious nature such as legal documents, legally binding documents, or technical documentation or commercial documentation without a review, you are set for trouble sooner or later.鈥
Petrov said he thinks ChatGNB will open the door for AI to be used for more tasks. 鈥淭here should be a human being in charge who can be held responsible for what they produce.鈥
CBC News (1/29/26) By Victoria Walton