Question Period Note: SECURING CANADA’S GLOBAL AI ADVANTAGE

What is the Government of Canada doing to seize the global advantage on artificial intelligence (AI)?

• Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest technological transformations of our age and its Canadian ecosystem is among the best in the world.

• Budget 2024 proposes $2.4 billion to help secure Canada’s AI advantage by investing in compute capacity and infrastructure, accelerating responsible and safe AI adoption and deployment and supporting workers through skills training.

• This budget will help spur innovation and drive economic growth.

• It will help businesses and researchers have the tools they need to harness the power of AI, while ensuring the technology is safe and benefits Canadians.

The government has been making targeted, strategic investments for many years to ensure Canada can capitalize on the potential benefits of this technology.

With combined government investments of nearly $570 million, the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy (PCAIS) made Canada the first country to launch a national AI strategy.

Canada has also held a leadership role internationally on AI, including through work with France to launch the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) in June 2020. Canada has continued to engage actively – and even take on leadership roles – in forums related to AI governance, including the G7 Hiroshima AI Process, the G20, the OECD (including its Working Party on AI Governance), the Council of Europe’s Committee on AI, UNESCO, and the Freedom Online Coalition.

Canada’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA), proposed as part of Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022, is among the first proposed legislative frameworks in the world to regulate AI.

Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct for the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems will enable Canadian companies to demonstrate that they are developing and using generative AI systems responsibly and strengthen Canadians' confidence in the technology.

Canada also recently consulted Canadians on the impacts of recent developments in AI on the creative industries, in order to consider whether any changes are required to appropriately balance copyright and technological development for an evolving Canadian economy.

The Government of Canada has published a guide to help federal public servants assess the risks associated with generative AI and use it responsibly during their day-to-day activities.

Canada is also at the forefront of global efforts to spur innovation and raise living standards in low- and middle-income countries using the power of AI through initiatives like the Artificial Intelligence for Development in Africa (AI4D).

Budget 2024 outlined a series of measures to secure Canada’s global AI advantage. These measures include:

• Investing $2 billion to build and provide access to computing capabilities and technological infrastructure for Canada’s world-leading AI researchers, start-ups, and scale-ups through a new AI Compute Access Fund and a Canadian AI Sovereign Compute Strategy.
• Boosting AI start-ups through $200 million in support from Canada’s Regional Development Agencies.
• Investing $100 million in the National Research Council (NRC) AI Assist Program to help small and medium-sized businesses scale up and increase productivity by building and deploying new AI solutions.
• Supporting workers who may be impacted by AI, such as creative industries, with $50 million over four years for a Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program.
• Creating a new Canadian AI Safety Institute, with a $50 million investment, to further the safe development and deployment of AI.
• $3.5 million over two years to advance Canada's leadership role with the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).