A preliminary version of Canada’s national AI strategy aims to boost business integration and offer free AI training to all Canadians. However, details on how the government plans to safeguard citizens from potential AI risks are lacking.
The draft, named “AI for All,” stresses the significant impact of current decisions on AI development and usage in shaping the nation’s future. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the imminent release of the strategy following delays.
The draft strategy, presented to the federal cabinet, consists of six pillars disclosed in the government’s spring economic update. These pillars focus on empowering Canadians, promoting AI adoption, establishing a sovereign AI foundation, enhancing champions, and forming global partnerships.
While the Prime Minister’s Office and the AI minister’s office declined to comment, an official familiar with the strategy highlighted its emphasis on increasing AI adoption, trust, and sovereign control. By 2031, the strategy aims to achieve various objectives, including safeguarding Canadians from AI risks, offering free AI training to one million post-secondary students, creating AI-related jobs, boosting business AI adoption, and fostering global alliances.
The document underlines Canada’s AI adoption gap, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in comparison to leading countries. It references a KPMG-University of Melbourne study indicating Canada’s low ranking in AI literacy and trust in AI systems among 47 countries.
To address this gap, the government proposes a national AI literacy initiative to provide entry-level AI training for all Canadians, involving libraries and community organizations. The strategy also plans to train educators with AI learning kits for classroom use.
Additionally, the federal government aims to collaborate with AI providers to grant post-secondary students access to AI agents. Initiatives such as the Student Work Placement Program and Canada Summer Jobs will create AI-related job opportunities, while training and upskilling programs will target mid-career workers in AI-related skills.
Moreover, the government promises to monitor AI’s societal impacts and leverage Statistics Canada’s AI and Technology Measurement Program for policy guidance. The strategy also includes measures to enhance AI transparency, protect consumer privacy, and prevent AI-enabled misinformation in elections, along with reviewing the Privacy Act.
With a focus on business adoption and Canadian champions, the draft strategy offers tools and resources to assist SMEs in adopting AI technologies. Plans include an AI Literacy and Adoption Assessment tool, funding for the AI Compute Access Fund, and the establishment of a Canadian Tech Growth Fund. The government also intends to support SMEs with revenue and references for global market expansion.
Furthermore, Canada commits to solving national challenges through AI missions, starting with healthcare, and launching a funded AI Missions Program for impactful projects. The strategy emphasizes the need for a sovereign AI foundation, including data protection measures and sovereign compute infrastructure development.
To attract and retain talent, Canada plans to invest in national AI institutes, increase the number of AI Chairs, and expand the Global Talent Stream permit program for skilled AI workers. The government’s strategy aligns with its ambition to strengthen AI development and ensure Canada’s competitiveness in the global AI landscape.