OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 has spurred a cascade of articles and commentary on artificial intelligence. The discussion, however, reveals how much artificial intelligence is already deployed. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of those technologies with a long history of disappointment. Dating back to Alan Turing at the start of the theory of computing (or, more technically, computability), interest reached a high point with the development of "expert systems" in the early 1980s. These systems created great excitement about the possibilities of AI, but delivery was disappointing. As a result, histories of AI (see note) refer to the following period as the "AI Winter". Both major parties took policies supporting AI to the last federal election. A survey of voters, even knowledgeable ones, on policy commitments made for that election is unlikely to turn up AI as an important policy position. On the other hand, ChatGPT has been a big story for some of us, with suggestions that it can take over many jobs and concerns about the integrity of academic credentialing.

The Canadian government is preparing to welcome thousands of highly skilled tech workers who have been blocked from entering or staying in the U.S. due to President Donald Trump's executive order that effectively suspended new work visas for the remainder of the year. "If you don't want to go to the [U.S.], come to us, we will take you," said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "If you want to bring someone in to work in your company at a certain high-tech job or a high-value job, we'll give you a visa in two weeks to get them to come in. Regardless of what happens in the United States, Canada continues to be welcoming and excited about people coming to Canada." Alex Lu, a 26-year-old Chinese software engineer in San Francisco on an H1-B work visa, is planning to relocate to Canada in two years.

The Japanese government plans to grant highly skilled foreign people permanent residency after they live in Japan for at least one year, informed sources said Saturday. Currently, people such as researchers and corporate managers can become permanent residents if they stay in the country for at least five years. The government is now working to shorten the required period to basically three years, the sources said. But specialists in artificial intelligence, researchers in regenerative medicine, big investors and other people who satisfy special conditions will only need to reside in Japan for one year to gain permanent residency, they added. Calling it important to take in highly developed human resources for Japan's survival amid intensifying global competition, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe clarified in its growth strategy adopted in June a policy to make the immigration system attractive to highly skilled foreign professionals. As of the end of 2015, 3,840 such foreigners worked in Japan.