A few weeks ago, François-Philippe Champagne, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the launch of the second phase of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. This second phase, which is expected to benefit from an investment of more than $443 million, aims to attract the best talent, increase cutting-edge research capacity, and foster the commercialization and adoption of AI. In 2017, the Canadian government was the first country to establish a national AI strategy. CIFAR, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, was tasked with developing and leading this pan-Canadian strategy, initially funded with $125 million. CIFAR is working closely with the three national AI institutes: Mila in Montreal, the Vector Institute in Toronto and Amii in Edmonton, as well as with Canadian universities, hospitals and other organizations. The "CIFAR Canada AI Chairs" program is an essential foundation of this strategy, aiming to advance research in a range of fundamental and applied AI topics, from drug discovery and machine learning for health, to autonomous vehicles, materials discovery, human-IA interaction, natural language prediction, etc. By the end of 2021, 113 senior researchers had been recruited to hold an AI research chair position at CIFAR, half of them from foreign countries. Since 2017, the national AI institutes have trained more than 1,500 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, some of whom are international students who came to Canada because of the recognized strengths specific to each institute. Currently, Canada ranks fifth in the Stanford Global AI Vibrancy Index and third among G7 countries.

The SCALE AI Global Innovation Cluster

The "Global Innovation Clusters" initiative was launched as part of "Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan" in 2017, 5 were approved on February 15, 2018, and among them is Canada's AI-focused supply chain cluster, SCALE AI. A Canadian artificial intelligence (AI) supercluster based in Montreal, SCALE AI acts as an investment and innovation hub to accelerate the adoption and rapid integration of AI and contributes to the development of a world-class Quebec and Canadian AI ecosystem. Funded by the federal and Quebec governments, SCALE AI brings together the retail, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure, and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors to build intelligent supply chains. It has nearly 120 industrial partners, research institutes and other AI players. It aims to make Canada a global export leader by seizing new opportunities and being first to market with its products and services and will, like CIFAR, play a major role in this second phase.

An investment of over $443 million for the second phase of the strategy

This investment demonstrates the government's commitment to accelerating the responsible adoption and commercialization of AI in the Canadian economy. To this end, it will promote programs that expand Canada's research base and talent pools. In addition to enabling Canadians to benefit from the growth of the digital economy, this investment will help established industries become more productive and competitive. François-Philippe Champagne states:
"We want Canada's economy to be stronger than ever, and to achieve this, we have made artificial intelligence a key part of our government's plan. The second phase of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy will help us realize the full potential of AI. It will accelerate the development of trusted technologies, while fostering diversity and cooperation in this field. This collaborative work will bring together the knowledge and expertise needed to solidify Canada's place as a global leader in the artificial intelligence and machine learning sectors."
For the second phase of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, Budget 2021 provides the following funding:
  • 60 million to Canada's national AI institutes (Amii in Edmonton, Mila in Montreal and the Vector Institute in Toronto) to turn AI research into commercial applications and help companies build the capacity to adopt these new technologies;
  • 125 million for Canada's Global Innovation Clusters to accelerate the commercialization of AI by supporting Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises, attracting private investment from other public and private sources, and developing AI solutions right here in Canada;
  • 8.6 million for the Standards Council of Canada to stimulate the development and adoption of standards and a conformity assessment program related to AI;
  • 160 million to CIFAR for the continuation of programs to attract, retain and develop university research talent, as well as programs to support the operation of research, innovation and training centers located at Canada's national AI institutes;
  • 48 million to CIFAR for the renewal and modernization of its advanced research, training and knowledge mobilization programs;
  • 40 million to enable Canada's AI researchers to use dedicated computing capabilities.

Implementing the second phase

The Government of Canada will draw on the expertise of some of its partners to implement these measures including CIFAR, the National AI Institutes, the Standards Council of Canada, and Canada's global innovation clusters. Together, they will ensure that Canadian values are at the heart of technology platforms used globally. They will ensure the responsible development and use of AI with a focus on human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth. Elissa Strome, CIFAR's Executive Director for the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, concludes:
"CIFAR is proud to have led the first phase of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy with its partners, Amii, Mila and Vector Institute. This has allowed us to establish Canada's reputation as a world leader in research excellence and responsible AI development. It is our pleasure today to continue to work in this great spirit of collaboration, and to ensure that Canadian AI delivers positive collective benefits and creates better economic opportunities for Canadians and the world."
Translated from Canada : que contient la seconde phase de la Stratégie pancanadienne en matière d’intelligence artificielle ?

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