Central guidance and AI research for AI help applications: Canada.ca design

As the Government of Canada, we must follow all applicable laws, policies, directives and standards when communicating with the public. As it relates specifically to AI help applications, ensure you consult the following sources.

Guide on the use of generative AI

Follow the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Guide on the use of generative AI to design AI help applications that are easy to use, ethical, accessible and trustworthy.

• Guide on the use of generative artificial intelligence

This guide cites public chatbots as a higher risk use case and includes best practices for the use and deployment of these tools. Remember to follow the “faster” principles: fair, accountable, secure, transparent, educated and relevant, that are outlined in the guide.

Digital Standards Playbook

Follow the Digital Standards Playbook. These standards form the foundation of the government’s shift to becoming more agile, open, and user-focused. They will guide teams in designing digital services in a way that best serves Canadians.

• Digital Standards Playbook

For questions and advice

For information and guidance on specific uses of generative AI, contact the Responsible Data and AI team:

• ai-ia@tbs-sct.gc.ca

For AI security questions and advice, contact:

• zztbscybers@tbs-sct.gc.ca

Other guidance and research

We have based our AI guidance on our own research as well as best practices from other governments and organizations. This includes the following sources:

Government of Canada

• Guide on the use of generative artificial intelligence
• Guide on Departmental AI Responsibilities
• AI Strategy for the Federal Public Service 2025-2027
• Responsible use of artificial intelligence in government
• Policy on Service and Digital
• The magic of using interactive questions | Canada.ca blog
• Thinking of adding a chat application? | Canada.ca blog
• Optimize your content for voice search | Canada.ca blog

Government of the United Kingdom

• We’re running a private beta of GOV.UK Chat – Inside GOV.UK
• Experimenting with how generative AI could help GOV.UK users – Inside GOV.UK
• The findings of our first generative AI experiment: GOV.UK Chat – Inside GOV.UK

Other organizations

• ChatGOV: Will people trust AI tools to help them use public services? | The Behavioural Insights Team
• The User Experience of Customer-Service Chat: 20 Guidelines
• The Shape of AI | UX Patterns for Artificial Intelligence Design
• Generative AI for beginners: User Experience (UX)