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Helpful Places

Government of Canada – DTPR AI Register

AI-Powered Emerging Technology Signal Detection for Defence

Safety & Security · Research & Development

What it collects

Operational data
Anonymized data
  • Scientific publications and scholarly literature, including journal articles and conference papers across multiple scientific fields. These are public or licensed documents, not personal data. The register confirms no personal information is involved.
Run by
National Research Council Canada (NRC)
Where
No fixed location
Kept
Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Shared with
Accountable organization

What it is for

Safety & SecurityResearch & Development

This system uses artificial intelligence to scan scientific publications and detect early, subtle signals about emerging technologies that may pose security risks. Developed by the National Research Council Canada and Defence Research and Development Canada with international partners, it helps analysts identify and assess future defence threats. It is currently in development, does not process personal information, and AI use is not yet disclosed to the public.

What it collects and what happens to it

Data taken in

Operational data
Anonymized data
  • Scientific publications and scholarly literature, including journal articles and conference papers across multiple scientific fields. These are public or licensed documents, not personal data. The register confirms no personal information is involved.

Processing

Classification & Prediction
  • Classifies and scores weak signals from scientific text to identify and predict emerging technology trends and their potential security impacts, building on a decade of scientometric modeling by NRC and DRDC.
Search & Retrieval
  • Searches and retrieves relevant passages from large corpora of scientific literature to surface weak signals that would be imperceptible through manual review.

What it does

Deciding (Analytical AI)
Human decides
  • The system scores and ranks weak signals from scientific publications, classifying emerging technologies by their potential security impact. Analysts (NRC, DRDC, and allied personnel) review these outputs and decide how to act on the intelligence.
Understanding (Semantic AI)
Human decides
  • Extracts meaning from scientific text to identify subtle, weak signals about technology trends that would be difficult to detect by manual reading at scale.

Outputs

A recommendation or prediction
Anonymized data
  • Produces weak-signal reports, technology trend rankings, and impact predictions for emerging technologies. These advisory outputs are reviewed by defence analysts — no automated binding decision is made about individuals or policies.

Run by

National Research Council Canada (NRC)
  • The NRC is the Government of Canada department responsible for deploying and operating this AI system in partnership with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and international allies.

Government of Canada AI Register — 2526-NRC-CNRC-025

Built by

Government of Canada
  • The AI solution was prototyped by NRC and DRDC together with international allies and partners. The Government of Canada is listed as the developer, indicating internal development rather than a commercial vendor.

Government of Canada AI Register — 2526-NRC-CNRC-025

Kept for

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Shared with

Available to the accountable organization
  • Outputs are intended for NRC, DRDC, and international allies and partners involved in the defence intelligence program. Primary users include both employees and the public per the register, though the defence-security context suggests outputs are primarily for government and allied analysts.

Stored

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

How to read the colours

Can it identify you?

Anonymized data
Data about people with the link to who is broken. Stripped of identifiers, blurred, aggregated, or noised so this system can’t reasonably tie a record back to an individual.
Pseudonymous data
Each person’s data is tied to a token (hash, ID, template) that lets this system recognise the same person across events, but the token itself doesn’t reveal a name. Reidentification is possible with extra information.
Identifiable data
The data either contains a direct identifier (name, address, account name, recognisable face or voice, plate number) or carries a token this system uses to look up legal identity during processing.

Who completes the loop?

Human decides
This mode suggests; a person decides what to do next. The AI is always advisory — a human is in the loop on every decision. Example: a triage tool ranks cases for a clinician who chooses which to see first.
Human executes
This mode decides; a person carries out the result. Example: an optimizer plans the day’s trash-collection routes, and drivers run them.
Autonomous
This mode decides and acts on its own. No person reviews each decision or carries out the resulting action.

Definitions from the DTPR standard. Amber is about your data, violet about who decides. The fuller the shape and the deeper the colour, the more identifying the data or the less a person is involved.

What you can do

Ask about this system

Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.

Your rights

  • Right to Algorithmic TransparencyThe register notes that AI use is currently not disclosed to users. As the system matures, members of the public and affected communities should have the right to understand in plain language how this system works, what logic it applies, and what consequences its outputs may have for security policy. Contact the National Research Council Canada for information: https://nrc.canada.ca

Risks and safeguards

  • Civil liberties harmThe system is used in a defence and security intelligence context. Although it does not process personal information, its outputs could influence decisions about surveillance priorities or security policy with potential civil-liberties implications. The system is in development, and the register notes AI use is not yet disclosed to users. Mitigation should include clear purpose limitations, oversight by NRC and DRDC governance bodies, and transparency measures as the system matures.