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At last year's Canadian Privacy Symposium, I was struck by the sense of everyone seemingly overwhelmed by artificial intelligence — how many kept saying, both in sessions and in conversations, that they felt they were drinking from the firehose, as changes in privacy and AI seemed to be overwhelming.
This year, the sense is different. It's more of "Oh well, let's roll up our sleeves, and get on with it." I would credit this in large part to the IAPP Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional certification training — as well as the numerous other AI-oriented KnowledgeNets, sessions, and focus areas of the IAPP.
In conversations with clients, I emphasize the importance of upskilling our organizations to use AI. We can't put people in front of AI tools without proper training — it's like giving someone a car without requiring driver education. The EU AI Act emphasizes digital literacy, and increasingly, as with privacy, the commissioners will be asking questions about training — how we trained our staff, when incidents happen.
Likewise, we in the profession, those in charge of governance — managing the traffic? — also need to be equipped, to be knowledgeable, to provide the proper guidance, the rules of the road, as it were.
I had the honor of delivering the AIGP certification training after the IAPP Canada Privacy Symposium 2025. It's challenging training because the topic is so complex. We must wrap our heads around large language models, training models and the importance of data throughout the process of developing and implementing machine learning. Despite the challenges, the feedback I received was very positive — for which I am very pleased, by the way. Instructors try to provide real-world examples to help classes get their heads around both law and technology.
My advice to those pursuing the AIGP certification? Read. The. Materials. Also, read the links to the additional components. Then, read more. There are many good sources to help grasp the technology and you need to absorb the concepts in AI and machine learning. Then, prepare by taking the practice tests and focusing on areas where you might be weak. Then, do the exam. Don't wait too long. I have done myself in by taking the course and deferring the exam too long, which meant I had to re-read everything.
This is a fast-moving area. There is no question AIGP content will be updated as new developments emerge in both law and technology. Take a deep breath and dive in.
Constantine Karbaliotis, AIGP, CIPP/C, CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, FIP, is counsel at nNovation.
This article originally appeared in the Canada Dashboard Digest, a free weekly IAPP newsletter. Subscriptions to this and other IAPP newsletters can be found here.