AI-Augmented Public Opinion and Behaviour Research
Research & Development · Planning & Decision-making
What it collects
About behaviour
Anonymized data
- Social media data used to construct randomized, controlled samples of populations, capturing expressed opinions and behavioural signals relevant to NCC programs and public willingness to support the NCC.
- Run by
- National Capital Commission (NCC)
- Where
- No fixed location
- Kept
- Not stated by the Helpful Places.
- Shared with
- Accountable organization
- Your copy
- You cannot see the data it holds about you. What you can do
What it is for
Research & Development
Planning & Decision-makingThis system uses artificial intelligence to conduct market research on behalf of the National Capital Commission, analysing public willingness to support NCC programs. It builds population samples from social media data and applies statistical techniques to assess opinions and predict human behaviour. The system was developed by a vendor (Advanced Symbolics) under a service contract and is now retired.
What it collects and what happens to it
Data taken in
About behaviour
Anonymized data
- Social media data used to construct randomized, controlled samples of populations, capturing expressed opinions and behavioural signals relevant to NCC programs and public willingness to support the NCC.
Processing
Clustering & Segmentation
- Population samples are constructed through social media data and segmented into randomized, controlled groups for statistical analysis of attitudes and predicted behaviour relative to NCC programs.
Classification & Prediction
- A series of statistical techniques applied to population samples to accurately assess positions and predict human behaviour regarding willingness to support the NCC.
What it does
Deciding (Analytical AI)
Human decides
- Predicts and scores human behaviour and public opinion using a series of statistical techniques against randomized, controlled samples of populations constructed through social media. Outputs inform NCC staff decisions on program direction and communications.
Outputs
A recommendation or prediction
Anonymized data
- Predictions and scored assessments of public willingness to support the NCC and aggregate position analyses delivered to GC employees as research outputs to inform program and communications decisions.
Run by
National Capital Commission (NCC)
- The National Capital Commission is the federal Crown corporation that commissioned this AI-augmented market research service to assess public support for its programs.
Built by
Advanced Symbolics
- Advanced Symbolics is the vendor that developed and supplied the AI-augmented market research infrastructure, analysis, and support under a service contract with the National Capital Commission.
Kept for
Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Shared with
Not available to me
- Research outputs are delivered to GC employees (NCC staff) only. Members of the public whose social media data contributed to population samples have no access to any data held or outputs produced by this system.
Available to the accountable organization
- Research outputs and analysis are available to GC employees at the National Capital Commission, who are the primary users of the system's outputs.
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.
- AI registerGovernment of Canada Algorithmic Impact Assessment Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003National Capital Commission, AI Register entry 2526-NCC-CCN-003.
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- AI registerGovernment of Canada AI Register — 2526-NCC-CCN-003
- Register entryPublished by the Helpful Places. Reference a6dcf345. This disclosure was drafted with AI assistance.Schema: ai@2026-05-06-beta
What you can do
Ask about this system
Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.
Your rights
- Right to Be Informed of AI UseMembers of the public whose public social media posts were harvested to construct population samples were not individually notified of this system's operation. The system is now retired. For inquiries, contact the National Capital Commission via its public communications channels.
- Right to Algorithmic TransparencyThe system is listed on the Government of Canada's public AI register, providing general disclosure that AI and statistical techniques were used to predict human behaviour from social media-derived population samples. The system is now retired. For further information, contact the National Capital Commission.
Risks and safeguards
- Loss of autonomyMembers of the public whose social media data was harvested to build population samples had no notice or opportunity to consent to use in this research program, limiting their ability to control how their expressed opinions inform government decision-making. Mitigation details are not disclosed in the register entry; the system is now retired.
- Civil liberties harmConstructing population samples and predicting human behaviour via passive social media harvesting raises concerns about covert surveillance of lawful public expression and potential chilling effects on political speech. No specific mitigations are described in the register entry; the system is now retired.