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Regulating AI may be impossible

ByDoug Anderson Economics, Government Policy, Lateral Thinking, Media, Communications, Paradigm Shift

Government licensing is the better idea

Public opinion is giving AI a pretty rough ride right now due to concerns about water, electricity and runaway machines. All of those concerns are legitimate.

The standard answer to these concerns is “we need to regulate it” but does anybody (excluding the companies that are designing it) know enough about it to figure out what regulating it would actually look like. Probably not! The problem is that it is developing so fast (including autonomously) that today’s regulations will almost certainly fail to control it even months down the road.

There is a better solution – government licensing. We already have a model here in Canada with the CRTC which licenses broadcasting outlets (radio & TV). Licensing was more or less essential there because there was limited bandwidth. However Canada could decide that the need for AI was limited by the “public good”. By … More

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Democracy is hard

ByDoug Anderson Canada, Government Policy, International Relations, Media, Communications

The line between Viktor Orban and Doug Ford

Doug Anderson

Apr 19, 2026

If you give people anywhere the choice of living in a free country or living in a dictatorship, they will always choose democracy in which they are consulted before decisions are made, where they elect their leaders, and where (in theory anyway) everybody has an equal voice. That’s what democracy is. The word comes from the ancient Greek words ‘demos’ (the people) and ‘kratos’ (to rule).

But, in practise, democracy is messy. Leaders want more simplicity, more certainty – less consultation, fewer meetings, streamlining. We see that right now here in Ontario where I live. Premier Doug Ford believes in democracy but his government is eliminating many school boards – because the provincial government thinks it has a better way to deliver education and “save money for the taxpayers”.

(He may have a point. School boards are … More

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The media, Transparency and Bias

ByDoug Anderson Canada, Media, Communications

The truth is out there!

Doug Anderson

Feb 08, 2026

I like old books and many years ago I acquired a rather banged-up copy of “The Story of Louis Riel” published in 1885 which happens to be the year of his second rebellion. It was written somewhat anonymously by a Toronto newspaper writer for the anglophone protestant market and it played into the narrative that they wanted to hear. Tensions were pretty hot in Canada at the time and this volume fanned the flames. The bulk of it was an entirely made up ‘romance’ narrative that Riel and Thomas Scott were both in love with the same girl and having Scott executed … well you get the picture – pure fiction. It went into a 2nd edition within the year.

If you look at media accounts of anything in that period you find blatant bias throughout. Bias is not a … More

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… like a 10-year old kid with the hottest new Video Game … except this was real

ByDoug Anderson International Relations, Media, Communications, Politics

Who’s next?

Doug Anderson

Jan 04, 2026

I can picture it – a dimly lit room at Mar-a-lago, locked doors, numerous large video screens around the walls, with Trump, his senior generals and other minions watching the invasion of Venezuela with giddy anticipation. The extraction was swift and successful – no Americans lost. (But an estimated 40 Venezuelans killed and a lot of damage to infrastructure).

I’m sure the testosterone was flowing at a fever pitch. Even the perp-walk in New York was staged as a victory lap for the TV networks with motorcades, flashing lights and armoured cars.

But that’s the easy part. Now that he’s in New York, the lawyers will have to prosecute him and that’s hardly a slam dunk. Maduro will claim immunity on a number of grounds all of which will be litigated, quite possibly right up to the Supreme Court. And then there’s the … More

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The MOU

ByDoug Anderson Canada, Government Policy, Media, Communications, Politics

The charade and the pipeline

Doug Anderson

Nov 29, 2025

Last week I wrote a piece that said the Carney would avoid saying “NO” to a pipeline – that he would leave the decision to the Major Projects process and that as a result of that review, no pipeline was likely to ever get built. Having read the MOU that Carney signed with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, I stand by that assessment although not too many people agree with me.

As I’ve said before, Carney is an introvert and play the long game. He wanted to get Alberta onside with a number of environmental objectives and this MOU achieves much of that including some specific emission goals and timelines.

The Federal government acknowledges “Alberta’s approach to regulating heavy electricity generation emitters through Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program.” “The TIER system will ramp up to a minimum … More

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Truth matters

ByDoug Anderson Crime & Punishment, Media, Communications, Money

Coping in a post-truth world

Doug Anderson

Nov 08, 2025

Like all of you I get dozens of scam phone calls and emails every day. Very annoying. But, like most of you, I’m pretty good at figuring out what’s real and what’s not. Most of them are phishing for information that they can use later to go after your bank account, max out your credit cards or sell on the dark web.

But we’re not the target of these scams. They’re aimed at the handful of people who for one reason or another are vulnerable – people who aren’t careful, people who are gullible or perhaps the person who’s just had a bad day and isn’t thinking straight. Such people are generally the most financially vulnerable and least able to afford being scammed. In 2021 it was estimated that such scams raked in $50 Billion in the United States. That’s … More

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We need a Canadian Social Media platform

ByDoug Anderson Canada, Media, Communications

Our Digital Sovereignty is at stake

I got an email Friday from OpenMedia.org, a Canadian advocacy group that specializes in media and privacy issues. The 1st two paragraphs read:

Think about your digital life for a second. The social media apps we scroll through: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. The cloud services our businesses and even our governments depend on: Microsoft, Amazon, Google. The AI systems shaping what news we see and what content gets promoted. Not one of these is Canadian!

Every single one is controlled by foreign powers and corporations that profit off our data, manipulate our choices, and increasingly undermine our democracy. That’s what’s at stake: Canada’s digital sovereignty.

I agree. Preceding this email, a 14+ page open letter was sent to the Prime Minister signed by dozens of public organizations and 70-odd individuals including the likes of Margaret Atwood and former governor general, Adrienne … More

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The intersection of politics and personality

ByDoug Anderson Media, Communications, Personality, Politics
Why Hilary Clinton lost the 2016 election … and what about Mark Carney?

Doug Anderson

Jul 14, 2025

By any rational criteria, Hilary Clinton was far better qualified for the presidency than Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign, but objective qualifications did not decide the race – it was their personalities.

If you’ve ever been accused of being secretive, you’re likely an introvert and Hilary had lots of secrets – her emails, Benghazi, etc. A lot of those secrets were part of her job as Secretary of State (and it’s good that a person in that position can keep their mouth shut) but it left her vulnerable.

In contrast, Donald Trump was an extrovert at the more extreme end. Extroverts get elected because they have a relaxed self assurance that draws people in. They sound like they know what they’re talking about and so people (the MAGA ones anyway) … More