Achi news desk-
The federal government will invest $2.4 billion to accelerate Canada’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Sunday.
The investment will be split between a number of measures to boost job growth in the AI and technology industry and boost business productivity.
“This announcement is a major investment in our future, in the future of workers, in making sure that every industry, and every generation, has the tools to succeed and thrive in tomorrow’s economy,” Trudeau said in a press release today. Sunday.
Most of the money, $2 billion, will go towards increasing access to computing and technological infrastructure. Another $200 million is being invested in AI startups to accelerate the technology in “critical sectors” such as healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing, the statement said.
Additional money will be put toward helping small and medium-sized businesses incorporate AI, with another $50 million committed to help train workers whose jobs the technology could disrupt.
“AI will help us build a fairer future with more jobs, more growth and even more homes. That’s what we focus on. Fairness for all generations,” Trudeau said at a press conference in Montreal on Sunday.
The announcement comes after a recent poll by Leger found that AI use is increasing in Canada despite “deep-rooted fears.”
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The poll, released in February, found that 30 per cent of Canadians use AI tools, which is up about 25 per cent from over a year ago.
Trudeau noted on Sunday that innovation and technology are some of the highest paying industries in the country. The demand to recruit Canadians with AI skills has also increased dramatically in the past year, as the global race to capitalize on the technology deepens.
AI in the recent string of federal budget announcements
The new investment is part of Ottawa’s 2024 budget, which will be presented by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on April 16. The commitment revealed Sunday is the latest of multiple pre-budget announcements made over the weeks last
In late March, Trudeau announced new measures that he says will help protect Canadian renters and give them a better shot at breaking into the housing market.
Trudeau said on Sunday that alongside the new AI investments, the federal government is “building more homes faster, making sure every child has the food they need, investing in health care, making life more affordable and creates good jobs to ensure that all generations can move forward. .”
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also made an announcement on Sunday in Toronto. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are also scheduled to speak, in an unusual spread of ministerial announcements.
The federal government’s press release on Sunday notes that it has committed over $2 billion since 2016 to support growth across Canada’s AI sector and in digital infrastructure. In 2017, Canada established a Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, making it the first country to establish a national AI strategy.
Alongside benefiting from growth in the digital economy, the statement says the strategy has been helping “Canada maintain its position as a world leader in AI (and helping) businesses to be more competitive.”
“To maintain Canada’s competitive advantage, and ensure good-paying jobs and job security for generations of young Canadians, we must raise the bar,” said a press release on Sunday.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
