Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is exploring potential solutions for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to help compensation officers process pay and human resources (HR) transactions faster. AI has many capabilities, including the ability to provide real-time advice to officers, answer questions and perform calculations based on information found in collective agreements. This would reduce the number of manual interventions required for certain transactions, allowing officers to focus on more complex work.
One possible solution that was recently tested for a short period was mPersona from Symaiotics. Recent media reports have questioned PSPC's testing of this tool, and the involvement of a federal employee in its development.
The source code for the mPersona application is open, available and free to anyone wishing to use, modify or distribute it. Use of the tool had no financial implications for PSPC, and no contract was awarded.
PSPC interacted exclusively with Janak Alford in his capacity as Chief Technology Officer of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), and not with Symaiotics directly. Mr. Alford did not disclose his connection with Symaiotics to PSPC officials. Once PSPC officials were informed of this connection, the department decided to terminate the relationship with FINTRAC regarding the use of mPersona. PSPC also checked whether any contractual relationships existed between the department and Mr. Alford's outside interests, and took all steps required to mitigate any potential risks. No relationships were identified.
PSPC compensation officers tested the mPersona tool to determine whether it could speed up payroll processing. PSPC tested the tool using publicly available information, such as collective agreements and HR policies. No protected or personal information was used. The tool was used to demonstrate and validate the concept. It was determined that the team had gathered enough information during testing to discontinue use. PSPC is no longer using the tool.
We continue to explore AI with a view of helping compensation officers process transactions faster and reduce potential errors. We are committed to exploring AI through an open and transparent approach, in accordance with the Government of Canada's Directive on Automated Decision Making.
