The NWT government is working on developing a policy on the use of artificial intelligence tools, with first guidelines expected at the end of this month.
The question of how to use AI is what governments, businesses and organizations are working on as technology becomes more accessible. In particular, generic AI tools like ChatGPT that can create new text, images and other media.
Currently, NWT government workers are instructed to follow federal government employees Guide to using AI If you use such tools at work. The territory is currently working on developing its own policies.
A statement from the NWT Treasury said it considers territorial governments to be used in “automating management processes, data analysis, and software development,” but also noted that careful human surveillance is required when using AI tools for anything including sensitive personal information, critical infrastructure and critical policy decisions.
The use of AI is subject to territorial information management policies, the government said.
It is unclear whether a particular AI application will be approved for use by territorial governments. The NWT government has said it has yet to establish a formal list of approved AI suppliers, and that work is currently underway to assess suppliers who meet security and privacy standards.
AI and NWT Attorneys
Meanwhile, the territorial legal society is also considering ways to use technology effectively and responsibly.
January, Northwest Regional Law Association We have issued our own guidelines For the use of AI by NWT lawyers. This includes an overview of various AI models designed for legal professions to use in drafting and reviewing documents.
Please note that the guidelines are important to transparent with clients and are important along with researching different applications. The Legal Society also points out that it is important to check generated content for bias.
“This requires thorough review and refinement of the output to remove biased language and inaccuracies, as unused use of content that has not been produced with AI can lead to inadvertently harmful results,” the guidelines read.
In a statement, the NWT Department of Justice said that the territorial court services currently do not have “policies, guidelines or directives addressing the use of AI.”
Earlier this year, the Northwest Territory Law Foundation, which collects profits from lawyers' trust accounts and then repays the money to the public through various legal initiatives, gave Canlii some money to incorporate an AI-created summary of NWT cases and law. Canlii (Canadian Legal Information Institute) is a public domain online database of Canadian court decisions, laws, and legislative documents.
Morgan Fein, director of the NWT Law Foundation, said:
Crown prosecutor Fein says he does not use AI tools in his own professional practice. He also says he believes that most lawyers prefer to do research without using AI.
Create a “better public service”
Adegboyega Ojo, Canada's Governance and Artificial Intelligence Research Chair, says the government is currently trying to establish trust with the public when it comes to the ethical use of technology.
He hopes territorial and state governments will work in collaboration with research institutions and universities to determine how they can be used for local priorities.
“They need a partner who can help them understand and navigate that journey. If they see meaningful developments here, I think that's important,” Ojo said.
Ojo said he believes that AI can be used to increase efficiency within public services without reducing employment.
“Hopefully it's not just a small government, it's basically going to create better public services.”
Ojo said determining which AI applications are best to use can be complicated, but it will be summed up in transparency. For example, he pointed out companies that offer model cards. The model cards provide details about the data that the application has been trained and other ethical considerations and important information.
Ojo said that unbiased assessments by research groups and nonprofits are another important step to keeping AI companies accountable.
Companies and AI
Some NWT companies are also looking for ways to incorporate AI into their work, but it could be relatively small for now.
The 2025 Statistics Canada Business Survey found that out of 146 respondents, approximately 12 NWT companies plan to use artificial intelligence to adopt software in the next 12 months.
Nassai Musalwa is a consultant at Yellowknife, and she already uses AI in her daily work. She specializes in creating business plans, bookkeeping and strategic management.
“There was a time when we didn't touch on research using AI on 10-foot poles, but now we can,” Musarurwa said.
Musarurwa said her perspective on AI changed last year as technology has made great strides.
Some have AI models for lawyers who can draft opening statements, people who allow people with little experience in coding to build apps, and others have specialized in creating marketing slogans.
“It used to take 40 hours to do a business plan, but in one day you can get it done,” Musarulwa said.
