SRI’s annual conference explored how increasingly capable AI systems are reshaping public discourse, institutional trust, and the boundaries between technical systems and social life.

Can AI-powered chatbots help young voters better understand politics? SRI Faculty Fellow Semra Sevi and her colleagues tested an interactive voting advice chatbot with nearly 2,900 politically unaffiliated voters under 35—and found significant gains in political knowledge, even if party loyalty remained unchanged.

Last week, Anthropic pulled back the curtain on Claude Mythos Preview, an AI model so capable at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities that the company decided it was too dangerous to release to the public. In a new op-ed, SRI Director David Lie and Visiting Fellow Bruce Schneier discuss the implications.

As part of the CBC Ideas series, the Schwartz Reisman Institute welcomed journalist Karen Hao to the University of Toronto to discuss the political economy of AI development, the need for stronger accountability, and the importance of building alternative, less resource-intensive approaches to AI systems.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute’s annual academic conference Absolutely Interdisciplinary explores interdisciplinary approaches to AI governance, risk, and safety on May 13, 2026, at U of T’s Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. Registration is now open.

A new partnership co-led by Karina Vold is confronting racism in AI systems—highlighting how tools like facial recognition and LLMs disproportionately harm Black and racialized communities, and calling for greater public awareness and equitable governance of AI in Canada.

Global security expert and author Bruce Schneier—known for reshaping how the world understands security, privacy, and trust—has joined the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) as a visiting senior policy fellow for 2025–26.

From AI chatbots marketed as digital partners to voice assistants designed for intimacy, these systems promise connection while raising urgent questions about privacy, manipulation, and digital addiction.

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society responds to Canada’s consultation on global privacy certifications, outlining how CBPR and PRP can strengthen data protection, build public trust, and drive innovation in the digital economy.

In a new essay series, the policy team at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society examines AI’s impact on the values underpinning democratic societies and governance. The series explores how AI, if left unchecked, may impact democracy – offering both an opportunity to reaffirm democratic values and critically assess the role of AI governance and regulation.

In October 2024, the SRI co-hosted a half-day event with The Dais and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst to address election integrity, cyber security, and disinformation in the age of AI. The result was The Future Votes report, a reflection of key insights and recommendations for policymakers on how we can practically protect our democratic elections.

In the wake of AIDA’s death and with a federal election on the horizon, a key question has emerged: what’s next for Canada after AIDA?