Course: AI Governance & Policy Frameworks Pathway: Governance (Paid) Level: Advanced Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
In March 2024, Air Canada was held liable after its chatbot gave a customer incorrect information about bereavement fares. The airline argued the chatbot was a "separate legal entity" responsible for its own actions. The tribunal disagreed. Air Canada was responsible for all information on its website, whether provided by a human or an AI.
This case illustrates a principle that every senior leader needs to understand: deploying AI does not transfer accountability. It transfers capability. The accountability stays with you.
Most organisations have a clear chain of accountability for human decisions. If a loan officer denies someone credit, there's a person who made that call, a manager who oversees them, a policy that guided the decision, and a complaints process for the customer.
Now replace the loan officer with an AI model. The decision is faster, cheaper, and possibly more consistent. But who made it?
This lesson is part of AI Policy & Compliance for NZ Workplaces — a paid course (NZ$39.00). Enrol to unlock the full lesson, audio, and completion tracking.
New to Lalapanzi.ai? We have a growing library of free courses — no sign-in required to start learning.