McKelvey, F. (2025). Could a national, public “CanGPT” be Canada’s answer to ChatGPT? https://doi.org/10.64628/aam.ark4gcyad

Abstract

In this article, Dr. Fenwick McKelvey argues that Canada should develop CanGPT, a public utility AI model, instead of relying solely on commercial services. Inspired by Canada’s history with public service media (like the CBC), this initiative directly addresses the issue of commercial AI profiting from public data without reciprocity.

CanGPT would be an open-source system rooted in public values, leveraging vast public resources, including government datasets and the multilingual archives of CBC/Radio-Canada. This framework would allow Canadians to democratically debate and set ethical guardrails for AI—decisions currently made by private technology firms. Moreover, it would encourage the development of energy-efficient AI models, offering a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to the government’s current focus on large-scale infrastructure.