Prime Minister Justin Trudeau underscored Canada’s role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) sector during a discussion with AI researcher Yoshua Bengio at the One Young World Summit in Montreal on Friday.
Trudeau pointed to a $2.4 billion AI initiative, announced in the federal government’s 2024 budget, as a key measure to keep Canada competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. “Our government is harnessing the full potential of AI so Canadians, and especially young Canadians, can get good-paying jobs and a fair chance to succeed,” he said.
The initiative includes $2 billion to bolster AI infrastructure and provide access to computing resources for Canadian researchers and start-ups. A portion of this funding will go towards the Canadian AI Sovereign Compute Strategy and the AI Compute Access Fund, aimed at supporting the development of domestic AI infrastructure. This, the Prime Minister said, is intended to attract global investment and talent while helping Canadian businesses remain competitive internationally.
Another $200 million will be allocated to support start-ups in critical sectors such as agriculture, clean technology, healthcare, and manufacturing. Meanwhile, $100 million will fund the NRC IRAP AI Assist Program to help small and medium-sized enterprises scale up and incorporate AI technologies into their operations.
Bengio, a professor at the Université de Montréal and founder of Mila, one of the world’s largest academic research centres for deep learning, is widely recognized for his contributions to AI. He joined Trudeau in emphasizing the importance of ethical AI development and highlighted Canada’s leadership in this area.
Safety institute
In addition to funding for business innovation, the federal government is allocating $50 million to the creation of a Canadian AI Safety Institute, which will focus on addressing the risks associated with advanced AI systems. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, described the initiative as a means to ensure that Canada continues to lead in the safe and responsible deployment of AI.
“To capitalize on this promise, the Government of Canada will launch the Canadian AI Safety Institute in the coming months to better understand emerging risks associated with the most advanced AI systems,” Champagne said.
$50 million for displaced workers
An additional $50 million will support workers in sectors potentially impacted by AI, providing them with training through the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program. The federal government is also committing $5.1 million to strengthen the enforcement of the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, which aims to ensure responsible AI use across industries.
The One Young World Summit, held from September 18 to 21, brought together global thought leaders to discuss pressing challenges, including the future of AI. Trudeau’s participation highlighted Canada’s long-standing position in the AI field, dating back to the pioneering work of Bengio and fellow researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, often referred to as the “Godfathers of AI.”
