The federal government has launched consultations to determine how to spend the $2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) investments announced in April’s budget. The consultations will take place from June 26 to September 6 and will include researchers and businesses within the field.
Why the Need for Consultations?
The government hopes that these investments over the next five years will help scale-up Canadian-owned infrastructure for researchers and AI developers. However, adopting this technology requires a large amount of computing power, which is currently in short supply in Canada. Many of the inputs required for AI are scarce and expensive, and many AI startups end up relying on cloud services provided by big tech giants such as Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Amazon.com Inc.
The Risks of Fragile International Supply Chains
According to a statement by the government, "insufficient domestic computing capacity exposes Canadian researchers and firms to fragile international supply chains for AI computing power, posing challenges in terms of cost, security of access, and the privacy and security of Canadian data."
Consultations with Key Partners
The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development will reach out to key partners, including:
- The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
- Vector Institute
- Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute
- Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute
- The Digital Research Alliance of Canada
These consultations will help inform how to best implement the funding and ensure that Canada continues to have an advantage in AI.
Canada’s National AI Strategy
In 2017, Canada became one of the first countries to launch a national AI strategy. However, despite this, the country lags behind other G7 countries in computing power. Canadian businesses also lag in AI adoption, with only one in ten businesses currently using or planning to use generative AI, according to Statistics Canada.
Research and Innovation
However, research-wise, Canada is home to 10 per cent of the world’s top-tier AI researchers, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The number of AI patents filed by Canadian inventors increased by 57 per cent in 2022-23 compared to the previous year.
Conclusion
The federal government’s consultation on how to spend the $2 billion in AI investments is an important step towards ensuring that Canada continues to have an advantage in AI. By working with researchers and businesses, the government can determine the best way to implement this funding and ensure that Canadian data remains secure and private.