Canada Launches 'AI for All' National Strategy to Close Adoption Gap

Summary

Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled Canada's 'AI for All' national artificial intelligence strategy, targeting a significant acceleration in AI adoption and job creation over the next five years. The strategy aims to increase AI adoption from just over 12% to 60% by 2034, create 250,000 new AI-related jobs, and generate an additional $200 billion in economic growth. Canada's strategy addresses the country's status as one of the slowest G7 nations to adopt AI at scale, despite having world-class talent and a rapidly growing digital sector.

The strategy is built on three core pillars: building trust, creating opportunities, and reinforcing Canadian sovereignty. To build trust, Canada will modernize digital-age legislation to protect citizens from AI-related harms including deepfakes and surveillance pricing, improve AI transparency, and expand the Canadian AI Safety Institute's model evaluation capabilities. The government will also strengthen partnerships with trusted international allies through a new Sovereign Technology Alliance and 12 existing international partnerships.

To create opportunities, the strategy launches a National AI Literacy Initiative offering free AI training to all Canadians, with targets to reach 1 million post-secondary students and train 3,000 educators. The plan includes providing AI agents to students across all academic disciplines and creating 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities specifically for young Canadians to help them gain experience in the growing AI economy.

• Canada's 'AI for All' strategy is anchored in building trust, creating opportunities, and reinforcing national sovereignty through international partnerships and domestic innovation