Canada seeks public input on national AI strategy

From the Springboard Content Lab and ISED

The Government of Canada has launched an AI Strategy Task Force to gather public feedback and stakeholder engagement to inform the strategy for making Canada an AI leader.

Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, announced the task force and a 30-day national sprint that will help shape Canada’s approach to AI.

During the month of October, the Canadian government will run a national consultation to seek public input on a renewed AI strategy. It invites founders, researchers, workers, creators, students, public servants, and community voices to weigh in topics such as:

• accelerate safe adoption of AI across the economy and public services
• scale Canadian AI champions and attract investment
• strengthen sovereign infrastructure (compute, data, cloud)
• build public trust, skills, and safety

“The Government of Canada is moving quickly toward our vision for AI and digital sovereignty. The AI Strategy Task Force and the ideas gathered through our national sprint will generate bold, pragmatic and actionable recommendations to guide Canada’s next AI strategy. This strategy will accelerate the development of nation-building AI and data infrastructure, drive economy-wide adoption and help build the strongest economy in the G7.”

– Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation

Insights will inform new AI strategy

In November, members of the AI Strategy Task Force will publish the ideas and insights gathered in this consultation. This input will be used to develop an new AI strategy by the end of 2025.

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada is committed to building the strongest economy in the G7, one that prioritizes innovation and the use of emerging and digital technologies to support growth.
• Canada was the first country in the world to launch a funded national AI strategy—the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy (PCAIS)—to drive adoption of artificial intelligence across Canada’s economy and society. Including investments from PCAIS, Canada has invested approximately $742 million in the Canadian AI ecosystem since 2017.
• Guided by the voices of Canadians, the government launched a $2 billion Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy in 2024 that is making strategic investments in public and commercial infrastructure to ensure that Canadian innovators, businesses and researchers have access to the compute capacity they need.
• Since 2019, the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence has advised the government on building Canada’s AI strengths and global leadership, identifying opportunities for growth, and ensuring that AI advancements reflect Canadian values and benefit all Canadians. The council will continue to provide advice to the government, including on the implementation of the new AI strategy.
• In contrast, the AI Strategy Task Force has a mission-focused, time-limited mandate to provide recommendations on members’ respective areas of expertise to inform the development of the new strategy.