Trudeau unveils $2.4 billion package for Canada’s AI sector
BNN Bloomberg
Canada is launching a fund to boost its artificial intelligence sector and creating a new AI safety institute as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to roll out spending announcements in advance of a new budget.
The government unveiled a $2.4 billion package of measures related to artificial intelligence on Sunday. The centerpiece is $2 billion for “computing capabilities and technological infrastructure” that can accelerate the work of AI researchers, startups and other firms, according to a statement.
Other money will be allocated to speed the adoption of AI in sectors such as agriculture and health care, the statement said. The funds “will help harness the full potential of AI so Canadians, and especially young Canadians, can get good-paying jobs while raising our productivity, and growing our economy,” Trudeau said.
Benjamin Bergen, head of the Council of Canadian Innovators, said his group was looking for more clarity on how companies will be able to gain access to the computing power and infrastructure the government plans to make available. “If this gives Canadian companies the resources to compete globally, today’s announcement is a step in the right direction,” he said.
