The Rise of ChatGNB: New Brunswick’s Zero-Dollar Leap into AI

New Brunswick is officially entering the AI area, but it’s doing so behind closed doors. The provincial government recently unveiled ChatGNB, an internal generative AI tool designed exclusively for government employees.

While the tech world is buzzing about the efficiency of Large Language Models (LLMs), the rollout in Canada’s only officially bilingual province is raising a mix of curiosity and concern. Here is the breakdown of what ChatGNB is, how it’s being used, and why the local translation community is sounding the alarm.

What is ChatGNB?

Powered by Microsoft Azure’s GPT-4 Turbo model, ChatGNB isn’t your average public chatbot. It was built specifically to address the privacy and security gaps found in commercial AI services.

• The Cost: $0. The government claims there were no startup costs to get the platform running.

• The Access: Restricted to users with a valid Government of New Brunswick (GNB) email.

• The Knowledge: Its training data goes up to April 2023, and it does not have live access to the internet.

• The Use Case: Primarily used for “idea generation, drafts, summaries,” and—most controversially—internal document translation.

Efficiency vs. Cultural Integrity

The Department of Finance and Treasury Board, which has been piloting the tool for a year, views ChatGNB as a way to boost efficiency and cut costs. However, for the 110 members of the Corporation of Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters of New Brunswick (CTTINB), the move feels like a “red flag.”

Sergey Petrov, president of the CTTINB, highlights a few critical concerns:

1. Job Security: Many certified translators are independent contractors. If the government shifts internal work to AI, their primary source of income could diminish.

2. Accuracy and Context: “A good translation is first a precise one,” says Petrov. AI often misses the “localization” and nuance required for legally binding or technical documents.

3. Language Erosion: Because English-to-French translation is significantly more common in N.B., there is a fear that an influx of AI-generated French text could eventually “deteriorate the integrity of the French language and culture.”

“Generative AI models use probability to create responses and may provide believable, but incorrect information.” — ChatGNB Source Code Warning

The Human Safeguard

The government has been quick to clarify that ChatGNB isn’t taking over everything. High-stakes documents—such as collective agreements, contracts, and external-facing public policies—will still be handled by human professionals at Service New Brunswick.

Furthermore, the system itself warns users that it is “not approved for sensitive or personal information” and lacks the “empathy and understanding” of a human translator.

Looking Ahead

The CTTINB is preparing a formal statement urging the government to mandate that every AI-generated translation be reviewed and corrected by a certified professional. As the province balances the “zero-dollar” appeal of AI with the high cost of potential errors, the debate over ChatGNB is just beginning.

In a bilingual province, translation isn’t just a service—it’s a safeguard for culture. Whether an algorithm can carry that weight remains to be seen.