Right now, Canada is in a state of flux (to say it gently. Our very sovereignty is under threat. What does that have to do with AI?
One of the principal concerns about AI is the ability for AI to generate and disseminate misinformation. From the generation of fake news sites – the number of authentic news sites in the US was surpassed by fake news sites by mid-2024. Algorithms are written to produce fake articles and news at frightening rates, sensationalizing the emotional impact of the stories to attract readership (Dhaliwal, 2024). This misinformation can be spread by AI powered bots, artificially inflating the number of sources (astroturfing) and giving the appearance of an upswelling of support for an issue (CISA, N.D.).
Because of the ability to rapidly disseminate false information so rapidly and so widespread, there is an illusion of massive support for an issue. The more widespread the support for an issue, the more likely a non-critical reader will accept it as true. This kind of a disinformation campaign can, and has, significantly impacted public opinion and changed the course of recent history.
As the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Communications, Melissa Fleming (2024) said, “Hate and lies are already polluting our digital information ecosystems, but generative AI tools could be about to make things dramatically worse.” Since writing the article a year ago, it has just gotten worse.
What does this have to do with Canada and our current sovereignty crisis?
Neil Bisson, a former CSIS intelligence officer (CBC, 2025), says that Canada is vulnerable to the threat of disinformation about joining the US. Individuals who are economically vulnerable are the most likely to be influenced by the promise of economic prosperity if we just join the US. With the prevalence of poverty amongst the 15 – 24 year old age group being about 16% (Stats Canada, 2023); 51% of under 35s living paycheque-to-paycheque (Government of Canada, 2024); and a large proportion of under 35s carrying a high debt to income ration of 165% (Freestone, 2023) or greater, we have a large group of economically vulnerable individuals under 35.
Add to this the fact that social media use is heavily dominated by the 18- to 35-year-old demographic. With the Online News Act (Bill C-18) seriously disrupting traditional, trusted news sources being available online and between 65% and 85% of under 35s relying almost exclusively on social media for news (K&P, 2023), we are vulnerable.
We are vulnerable. According to Bisson, as well as both Ward Elcock and Dick Faddon, both former heads of CSIS (CBC, 2025), the use of disinformation about the annexation of Canada by the US will have a massive influence on young Canadians and other Canadians with lower educational levels. This is a new line of attack in the increasingly chaotic rhetoric we face. With an apparent groundswell of support for Canada to join the US, we are vulnerable.
Never in our history has there been a more important time to Stand on Guard for Thee.
References
CBC, 2025. The U.S. has covertly destabilized nations. With Canada, it’s being done in public. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-annexation-destabilizing-canada-1.7479890
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), (N.D.). Tactics of Disinformation. https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/tactics-of-disinformation_508.pdf
Dhaliwal, J., 2024. Hallucinating Headlines: The AI-Powered Rise of Fake News, McAfee.com. https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/internet-security/hallucinating-headlines-the-ai-powered-rise-of-fake-news/
Fleming, M. 2024. How AI is boosting disinformation, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-ai-boosting-disinformation-melissa-fleming-vbdpe/
Freestone, C., 2023. Canadian millennials have the smallest cushion against job losses. Proof Point: – RBC. https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/proof-point-canadian-millennials-have-the-smallest-cushion-against-job-losses/
Government of Canada, 2023. Government Actions on Canada’s State of Youth. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/state-youth/government-actions.html
Kaiser & Partners (K&P) 2023. Young Canadians are Increasingly Trusting News Broadly Shared on Social Media. https://kaiserpartners.com/young-canadians-are-increasingly-trusting-news-broadly-shared-on-social-media/