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The Future of Artificial Intelligence Council
The Future of Artificial Intelligence Council
AI holds immense potential for increased productivity and economic growth. To benefit from this transformative technology, we need a strategy that enables the widespread, responsible adoption of AI by Canadian businesses.
The Council
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and its members on the Future of Artificial Intelligence Council are focused on proactively guiding federal AI policy in an era of heightened government scrutiny and regulation. The Council’s primary goal is to influence and advance policies that will result in the responsible development, deployment and use of AI in business.
Leveraging the significant power of AI in our economy and society is a complex challenge. Since AI presents both opportunities and risks, there is curiosity and contention about what future development and deployment will look like — especially regarding ethical implications. The Future of AI Council, made up of an inclusive cross-section of organizations operating in Canada, serves as a network and forum for businesses to collaborate and address this challenge together.
The Council is an action-oriented, dynamic forum committed to working with government to encourage Canadian-led innovation and to integrate AI into business in a manner that will profoundly increase economic productivity and growth, thus benefiting the lives of Canadians across the country.The Council also takes a global perspective to ensure Canada remains competitive and stays informed about relevant international initiatives, priorities and best practices.
Policy Priorities
As governments around the world explore pathways to manage the use of AI, it’s critical that Canada’s approach results in a favourable regulatory environment in which businesses can thrive and contribute to Canada’s economic success. We cannot continue to add red tape that will stifle innovation and undermine private sector investment. It is time to seize the moment and leverage the potential of this transformative technology to create positive outcomes for our economy and society.
Government must:
- Focus on the development of technologically neutral and risk- and principles-based legislation that establishes AI as a positive economic force through the responsible development, deployment and use of AI in business.
- Strike the right balance between implementing a robust regulatory mechanism that safeguards public interest and encouraging innovation, experimentation and industry growth.
- Work towards interoperability of AI policies to support, strengthen and promote Canadian competitiveness.
The drive to develop more powerful AI capabilities requires significant investment. Aiming for a forward-looking, balanced approach should be a key priority as Canada reviews its AI investment focus.
Government must:
- Increase strategic investment to keep pace with the global AI race.
- Ensure a balanced allocation of the investment dollars with a focus on boosting AI adoption in critical sectors and among SMEs.
- Expand the capacity of compute infrastructure providers in Canada to incentivize increases in the supply and availability of compute within Canada.
- Democratize access to technology by leveraging the variety of technology while taking advantage of the economies of scale.
Despite Canada’s second place ranking for the largest pool of top-tier AI researchers in the world, Canadian businesses lag behind their international competitors in AI adoption. In fact, the Canadian Chamber’s Business Data Lab research indicates that only 14% of Canadian businesses are early Generative AI adopters. Such a concerning statistic demands intervention and a call to commercialize AI research and grow the capacity of businesses to adopt these new technologies.
Government must:
- Be an early adopter of new technologies and aim to integrate these new technologies into public sector operations where possible.
- Encourage tech adoption among SMEs via meaningful investment tailored to help offset costs associated with digital transformation.
Unprecedented opportunities demand unprecedented investment and government procurement has a role to play. By procuring innovative solutions, government can support AI advancements while also providing opportunities for businesses of all sizes to grow, compete and thrive in the domestic and global marketplace.
Government must:
- Stimulate AI innovation in Canada through public sector procurement. Making government technology procurement practices more agile, challenge-based and outcome-driven will further strengthen the economy and enhance resiliency, thereby building domestic capacity, de-risking investment/access, and enabling broader uptake.
AI is poised to unlock significant productivity gains at an unprecedented pace. But to harness its immense potential, Canada needs a highly skilled talent pipeline and according to the Canadian Chamber’s Business Data Lab research, roughly 3 in 10 Canadian businesses cite hiring skilled employees as a top challenge in adopting new technologies like AI. Closing this gap will take a united effort from both workers and companies coupled with support from government to help Canadian businesses maintain their competitive edge and succeed on the world stage.
Government must:
- Better align immigration targets to attract and grow world-leading AI talent.
- Invest in scalable AI opportunities to promote job creation and technological advancement.
- Work together with academy and industry partners to augment productivity of the Canadian workforce through upskilling and reskilling.
Co-Chairs
Melika Carroll
Head of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy
Cohere
Joanne Pitkin
Senior Manager, Digital Policy, Canada
Amazon
For more information on the The Future of Artificial Intelligence Council, please contact Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology & Innovation.
Updates
As host of the 2025 G7 Summit, Canada could live up to its AI ambitions. (The Globe and Mail, October 2024) Read more.
Submission to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada regarding the consultation on artificial intelligence (AI) compute. Read more.
Members of the council participated as panellists at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s annual Canada 360° Economic Summit. Watch the panel discussion.
Submission to the Digital Enforcement and Intelligence Branch, Competition Bureau Canada, regarding the consultation on competition and artificial intelligence (AI). Read more.
Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Senior Director of Digital Economy, Technology, and Innovation at the Canadian Chamber, discusses the importance of trust in data and privacy protection, in the context of generative AI driving economic productivity, with Mike Branch, Vice-President of Data and Analytics at Geotab and member of the Future of AI Council. Read more.
Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, the Future of AI Council Lead and Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology & Innovation at the Canadian Chamber, was selected to join the B20 Brazil Task Force on Digital Transformation. The task force will take a closer look at the potential and impact of digital technologies, including AI. Read more.
MPs to move on AI bill without testimony from Canadian companies: business group. (Toronto Star, March 2024) Read more.
Letter to Standing Committee on Industry and Technology: Additional feedback on the amendments proposed by Minister Champagne. (March 2024) Read more.
Letter to Standing Committee on Industry and Technology: Recommendation for further AIDA consultations with industry to refine the legislation and ensure its interoperability. (February 2024) Read more.
Recommendations on Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems and the Copyright Act in Canada in response to Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s (ISED) Consultation on Copyright in the Age of Generative AI. (January 2024) Read more.
As AI Comes Under Global Scrutiny, Canadian Chamber of Commerce Launches the Future of AI Council. (Innovating Canada, December 2023). Read more.
Letter of response to the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology regarding amendments to Bill C-27. (November 2023). Read more.
The Future of AI Council Launches As AI Comes Under Global Scrutiny. (Press Release, November 2023). Read more.
Canadian Chamber appears before Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (October 2023). Watch the recording.
AI could help solve Canada’s productivity problem — if only we’d let it (Toronto Star, October 2023). Read more.
Submission to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) on the Canadian Guardrails for Generative AI. Read more.
Submission to the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology on Bill C-27. Read more.
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