Canadian government to provide funding for the development of artificial intelligence technologies
The Canadian government has created a fund to support the development of artificial intelligence technologies. The new facility was created as part of a programme approved by Justin Trudeau. It involves the allocation of US$1.8 billion in investments (US$2.4 billion in local currency).
The breakdown of funds will be as follows:
– increased computing resources and technology infrastructure will receive $2 billion (Canadian currency);
– product adoption activities in other sectors, such as healthcare and agriculture, will use the remaining funds.
In addition, the fund will help stimulate the local AI industry, with the programme aimed at supporting start-ups and companies already operating in the market.
According to the Prime Minister, the programme will attract young talent to the innovative technology sector. The focus will be on supporting Canadian companies. The government, for its part, intends to provide all the necessary resources to train new artificial intelligence models.
Community reaction
The creation of the AI development fund has provoked mixed reactions from the technology sector. Benjamin Bergen of the local Council of Innovators says the government has not outlined practical steps to achieve its goals. For example, there is a lack of clarity on how to provide specialists with the necessary infrastructure. In addition, the artificial intelligence law has been under consideration by the authorities since 2022. So far, the government has not adopted a document to regulate and develop the industry.
Yoshua Bengio, a famous researcher, also spoke about the initiative. The scientist has made a serious contribution to the development of artificial intelligence and helped set up the AI Centre in Montreal. Bengio co-authored an open letter to developers calling for a slowdown in AI learning. According to the expert and his colleagues, the rapid development of the technology makes it impossible to control its potential. Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk also signed the declaration.
Bengio sees the allocation of funds for creating an AI security organisation as a positive moment in the government’s programme. Trudeau intends to invest 50 billion Canadian dollars in this direction.
Based on official data for 2023, the number of employees in the field of artificial intelligence in Canada will be approximately 140 thousand people. In addition, in 2022, almost 30% of venture capital, or nearly US$9 billion, was allocated to AI-related projects. The government expects the share of AI investment to grow significantly this year. Similar trends are evident not only in Canada but also in other countries. Many nations are incentivising the sector’s development, seeing it as an opportunity to take a leading position on the global stage.
