This dog from Alberta can safely drive trucks and serve you beer – at least on paper

Phoebe Pug is probably more qualified than you (on paper).

With over 200 different certifications to his name, the Alberta dog can – theoretically – safely drive trucks, row boats and operate forklifts.

She has also been issued Pro-Serv certification by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) Agency.

So legally, yes, Phoebe the Pug could serve you a cold one.

It’s all part of testing conducted by Cognisense, a Calgary-based security firm that focuses on online training.

The company gave Phoebe – the office pug and Cognisense’s “unofficial Chief Training Integrity Officer” – the province’s online course to earn the ProServ Liquor Staff Training Certificate. This is a certification required for workers in roles such as bartending, which involve serving alcohol.

With the help of artificial intelligence tools, the company’s investigation revealed that online training could be “fast forward” in just six minutes without any identity verification or participation monitoring.

Robert Day, managing director of Cognisense, said the experiment highlights the serious security risks posed by online training programs.

The standard for conducting online training has changed dramatically, Day said.

If the mandatory training can be successfully completed by Phoebe using AI, certification becomes a box-ticking exercise, he said.

“AI tools can go in there and automatically complete this training without any human involvement. And that’s why Phoebe, you know, obviously she’s not human, but she highlights the fact that you don’t have to be human to get training anymore.”

Identification procedures in question

In a statement emailed to CBC News, the AGLC said, “Since the ProServ certificate details must align with a government-issued photo ID at the individual’s place of employment, a full ID verification process is not required to complete the training.

“AGLC’s Regulatory Division regularly inspects licensed establishments to ensure staff compliance with all relevant policies, regulations and certification requirements.”

It says if a program’s participants’ credentials are proven to be falsified, the agency may suspend their certificates until they are updated.

The AGLC confirmed to CBC News that the account associated with Phoebe’s certification was suspended on October 21.

Dey said the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online has changed training processes significantly.

“Everyone needs to find a way to effectively deliver training to a large number of people,” Day said. “We need to make sure it’s done in a way that identifies the person, making sure it’s them who is participating and not some kind of AI tool.”

According to Cognisense, Phoebe will receive the same certification from AGLC in 2024. When informed, AGLC refunded its fees and cited LMS infection as the reason for unverified testing, a press release said.

AMA pushes back

Cogniz said Phoebe also successfully obtained her Alberta defensive-driving certificate through an online Alberta Motor Association (AMA) course. The certificate is a step toward removing a maximum of three demerit points from a person’s license.

The AMA told CBC News in an email statement that it was first made aware of the situation by Cognisense, “a company that knowingly created a false profile for us to complete an online demerit reduction course with the intent to sell us their commercial products.”

The AMA said, “To be clear: No dogs were found to have a reduction in impairment.”

“Completing the course does not automatically reduce the demerit – the certificate must be officially validated in person and coincide with a valid driver’s license.”

The AMA stated that any claims that the delinquency reduction online course alone results in delinquency reduction or that the process lacks an identity verification component are completely false.

While many online certifications have a verification component, for those that don’t, Day stressed the importance of raising the bar so real people get the training they need to keep themselves and others safe.

“If AI is being used to circumvent this training, we risk certifying unqualified servers and keeping impaired drivers on our roads,” Steve Sullivan, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, said in a press release.

“Governments should ensure that standards for training providers are strengthened, and safeguards are put in place to ensure that those who claim to have completed training have done so through their own efforts.

“The integrity of this system is essential to protect life.”