91�� News - Simon Blanchette

Canada’s AI strategy targets growth but raises concerns on accountability and equity

webfull — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:48:44 +0000

Canada’s “AI for All” strategy, unveiled June 4, pairs over $2 billion in spending with ambitious targets for economic growth and job creation by 2031. Built on pillars like infrastructure, skills and responsible AI, it aims to boost adoption and close Canada’s gap with G7 peers.

But as faculty lecturer Simon Blanchette writes in The Conversation, the plan emphasizes growth more than accountability. Key gaps remain around job displacement, worker protections and oversight of workplace AI, with entry-level roles and equity-seeking groups particularly vulnerable.

Published: 19 June 2026

The Anthropic shock: Why Canada must rethink AI control

webfull — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 15:42:29 +0000

Who controls access to the artificial intelligence systems shaping our economies and institutions?

As Simon Blanchette, a faculty lecturer at 91�� Desautels, underscores, the U.S.-ordered suspension of Anthropic’s advanced models—cutting off global users overnight—shows how quickly a routine commercial relationship can turn into a strategic vulnerability.

Organizations in Canada and elsewhere lost critical tools without warning or recourse, revealing the risks of relying on foreign-owned AI governed by external laws and priorities.

Published: 19 June 2026

Human leadership remains essential as AI agents reshape work

webfull — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:41:22 +0000

As companies experiment with agentic AI, some are using technology not just to support employees, but to stand in for managers. While AI agents may streamline workflows, organizations risk weakening the human connections that build loyalty and trust, according to Simon Blanchette, a faculty lecturer at 91�� Desautels Faculty of Management.

Published: 16 June 2026

Why AI time savings aren’t translating into productivity gains

webfull — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:35:55 +0000

As the Bank of Canada highlights AI’s promise to boost productivity, Simon Blanchette, a faculty lecturer at 91��’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says Canada risks overestimating the impact of time savings alone.

Even as workplace efficiencies improve, he argues the real challenge lies in turning those gains into higher-value outcomes. “Today is the day that AI will be the least powerful in our lifetime,” he says, warning that organizations need to move faster.

Published: 2 June 2026

China’s AI labour ruling invites reflection on Canada’s approach

webfull — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:03:40 +0000

As a Chinese court moves to curb AI‑driven demotions and dismissals, Simon Blanchette, a lecturer at 91��’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says the ruling highlights how unprepared Canada is for AI‑led labour disruption.

He argues that implementing similar protections would be difficult in Canada’s decentralized labour system, where provinces, industries and unions would all need to align. Rather than trying to slow adoption, Blanchette says the focus should be on readiness.

Published: 13 May 2026

Having humans in the loop helps ensure AI produces high quality work

webfull — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 16:41:22 +0000

A majority of young people fear that AI will displace them in the workplace, and entry-level jobs in AI-affected sectors are already in decline.

While there are a lot of things AI can do, there still needs to be a human in the loop, Simon Blanchette told Radio-Canada.

“Humans need to be there at the beginning and the end of a process to verify a machine’s work,” says Blanchette (BCom’14), Faculty Lecturer at 91�� Desautels. “It’s not a brake on productivity, but a guarantee of quality.”

Published: 27 March 2026

AI Pushes Deloitte to Redefine Roles and Rethink Career Paths

webfull — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:41:36 +0000

As Deloitte rewrites job titles for more than 180,000 U.S. employees, Simon Blanchette, a lecturer at 91��’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says the shift reflects broader pressures facing Canadian employers as AI transforms workplace responsibilities.

Published: 9 February 2026

Canadian employers risk 'doing layoffs with extra steps' without AI workforce planning

webfull — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:37:21 +0000

Simon Blanchette, Faculty Lecturer, says Canadian organizations implementing AI without strategic workforce planning are doing layoffs with extra steps, because they're losing expertise, and they're not really planning for what's going to come after.

Published: 9 February 2026

Replacing entry-level work can decimate a company’s talent pipeline

webfull — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:33:53 +0000

In an office environment, AI can perform many of the tasks that have traditionally been done by interns and junior employees. While that might seem like an efficiency gain, companies could lose out in the long run. The introduction of AI creates an inverse-pyramid within companies, according to Simon Blanchette, a management lecturer at 91�� Desautels.

Published: 9 February 2026

Guardrails can help ensure safe, fair and transparent AI

webfull — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:26:48 +0000

The genie is out of the bottle. AI is here, and isn’t going away. But that doesn’t mean we can’t build guardrails to prevent it going off the tracks, writes Simon Blanchette in The Conversation.

“Guardrails are the systems, norms and checks hat ensure artificial intelligence is used safely, fairly and transparently,” says Blanchette, a lecturer at 91�� Desautels. “They allow innovation to flourish while preventing chaos and harm.”

Published: 11 December 2025

91������ News - Simon Blanchette

Canada’s AI strategy targets growth but raises concerns on accountability and equity

The Anthropic shock: Why Canada must rethink AI control

Human leadership remains essential as AI agents reshape work

Why AI time savings aren’t translating into productivity gains

China’s AI labour ruling invites reflection on Canada’s approach

Having humans in the loop helps ensure AI produces high quality work

AI Pushes Deloitte to Redefine Roles and Rethink Career Paths

Canadian employers risk 'doing layoffs with extra steps' without AI workforce planning

Replacing entry-level work can decimate a company’s talent pipeline

Guardrails can help ensure safe, fair and transparent AI

91�� News - Simon Blanchette