World Press Freedom Canada will host a symposium on Parliament Hill on Thursday, November 6, to explore the influence of artificial intelligence on press freedom.

Wide-ranging experts will identify the threats AI presents to journalists and news organizations while considering the opportunities it creates to enhance in-depth reporting during an era of declining resources.

Industry guests include publishers, scientists, lawyers, editors, and journalists from public and independent news sites across the country.

Questions we will explore include:

• What are the potential rewards and risks of this transformative technology?
• How does AI turbocharge the spread of false and artificially generated content?
• Who are the winners and losers from the application of this powerful technology?
• What influence does using AI in the production of news stories have on audience trust and demand?
• How can AI be used to strengthen journalism?
• What can be done to protect copyright and intellectual property rights?

Agenda and featured speakers

Thursday, November 6, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 1 Wellington Street, room W-180

8:30–8:45     Arrival, check-in, coffee (15min)

8:45–8:55     Welcome & framing (10min)

8:55–9:15      Keynote – Hugo Larochelle from Mila Institute (15min)

Hugo Larochelle is scientific director at the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, MILA. His research has contributed to several conceptual breakthroughs that are omnipresent in AI.

9:15–9:35       Questions & Answers for Hugo Larochelle from audience (20min)

9:35                Video (5min)

9:40–10:20    1st Panel: AI in the Newsroom: Promise and Peril (40min)

Artificial intelligence is transforming journalism — and not without controversy. It’s speeding up workflows and reshaping how audiences access news. But it’s also testing editorial judgment, transparency and trust. How should policies keep pace? What standards and safeguards should govern how journalists use AI? What does this mean for the craft of reporting? This panel brings together newsroom leaders and innovators to examine how AI can strengthen reporting — and where it risks undermining credibility and independence.

• Marc-André Cossette is a seasoned producer and journalist with extensive experience in Canadian political coverage. He is CPAC’s French anchor and hosts CPAC’s nightly political news program L’Essentiel.
• Grant Ellis is executive editor of the Toronto Star, overseeing digital, multimedia, and content strategy. He is a former managing editor at the National Post and transformed the national TV channel BNN into a major digital force.
• Anita Li is founder and publisher of The Green Line, an award-winning, hyperlocal publication in Toronto that delivers solution-based action-oriented and resource-rich news you can use in your daily life.
• Nikita Roy is a data scientist, journalist and founder of Newsroom Robots Lab, an AI research company for the news industry recognized by Harvard Innovation Labs. She hosts the “Newsroom Robots” podcast.
• Rignam Wangkhang is an award-winning multimedia producer who is the CBC News advisor on AI projects. He will share his insights on introducing AI inside a legacy media organization.

10:20–10:35  Engagement/Q & A (15min)

10:35–11:00   Breakfast + stretch break (25min)

11:00               Video (5min)

11:05–11:45    2nd Panel: Misinformation, Disinformation and AI: Trust on the Line (40min)

AI is turbocharging the information wars. Deepfakes and synthetic text are blurring fact and fiction. Falsehoods spread faster than corrections. Politicians, platforms and the press are all wrestling with how to respond with consequences that reach far beyond newsrooms. This panel looks at how AI is reshaping public trust, what it means for audiences, and the tools journalists need to uphold accuracy in this high-stakes moment.

• Heather Bakken is WPFC president and is a fierce defender of press freedom and independent media. She was an anchor for NewsWorld International and worked for CBC News in Toronto, Winnipeg and Regina. In private media she was the Publisher of iPolitics and Queen’s Park Briefing. Heather is a founding partner and media and communications consultant at Pendulum.
• Aengus Bridgman is Assistant Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University. He specializes in digital politics, information manipulation, and computational social science.
• Wilf Dinnick is co-founder of GetFact.ca, an independent, non-partisan Canadian platform designed to build information resilience. He is also the developer of the free fact-checking AI tool, Laura.
• Craig Silverman is an award-winning investigative journalist and Open Source Intelligence Trainer. He is founder of Indicator, an informational tool about digital deception, and formerly a founding editor of BuzzFeed Canada who famously uncovered Russian troll farms.
• David Skok is CEO & editor-in-chief of The Logic, a news site that specializes in technology and business. He is a leading voice on digital transformation in journalism and serves on the advisory board of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University.

11:45–12:00   Engagement/Q & A (15min)

12:00–12:10   Closing remarks & thanks (10min)

12:10 – 12:45  Networking / media avail / overflow (35min)

Insights and recommendations from the symposium will inform an action plan that will be presented to policy experts, parliamentarians, and made available to the public on our website.

Don’t miss this essential conversation at the intersection of technology, journalism, and democracy.

Reserve your spot below!