Gen(Z)AI is a first-of-its-kind youth assembly that focuses on artificial intelligence (AI), bringing together 100 young Canadians aged 17-23 from across the country to contribute directly to discussions on the future of AI governance in Canada. The initiative is jointly organized by the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy and the Dialogue on Technology Project, in partnership with Mila, Quebec’s AI Institute.

This report outlines the purpose, methodology, and key findings of the third Gen(Z)AI forum, held in Vancouver and focused on AI & Data Privacy. The Vancouver forum was one of four regional forums, alongside sessions on chatbots, information integrity, and age assurance in AI. Over three days, participants engaged with expert speakers, took part in workshops, and deliberated on policy challenges and opportunities related to AI and data privacy. A consolidated final report, which will outline the policy recommendations from each forum, will be released on April 30, 2026, following the completion of all four regional forums.

Forum Focus: AI & Data Privacy

Data privacy focuses on who is authorized to collect, process, and share an individual’s data, and the degree to which that individual can meaningfully control such access. Data privacy has become a central concern in Canadian policy discussions on AI. A 2025 study by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, found that 9 in 10 Canadians are concerned about their personal information being used to train AI systems. AI tools, in turn, ranked third among the most worrisome technologies for Canadians in terms of privacy. 

Among youth, data privacy in AI contexts is an especially pressing but largely overlooked concern. Youth rights in the digital age often lie at the periphery of national AI policymaking processes. A UNICEF review of 20 national AI strategies found that relatively few nations meaningfully engage with AI's unique impacts on youth, including risks related to data protection and privacy. Canada’s AI Strategy omits any reference to youth, and proposed federal privacy reforms fail to incorporate their distinct vulnerabilities. 

Participants at the Vancouver forum expressed deep concern that contemporary AI systems operate through opaque data practices that undermine their ability to express informed consent, to feel individual agency online, and to maintain a sense of community well-being. Across discussions, participants highlighted how they perceive the technology as intensifying surveillance and profiling, which often lack clear safeguards. A common feeling was that youth users are expected to make privacy decisions without meaningful transparency, which, in turn, results in apathy or resignation about data loss. Participants also acknowledged a deep tension between the personalization AI offers and, to some degree, power imbalance it creates. Values such as accountability, stewardship, justice, and community repeatedly surfaced during discussions, suggesting a shared desire for governance frameworks that protect sensitive data and mitigate disproportionate harms to vulnerable groups, such as younger youth and the elderly. 

The third Gen(Z)AI forum on AI and Data combined expert briefings, preparatory resources, interactive workshops, and deliberative policymaking sessions. Participants engaged with perspectives on privacy regulation, child-centric platform design, and global policy approaches to AI systems and data before working collaboratively to identify priority concerns and policy directions. Ultimately, participants emphasized that governance models must ultimately work to restore trust and agency and also encourage collective responsibility in an increasingly data-driven society.