Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is touting Canada as one of the world’s top players in artificial intelligence, even though a federal committee says the country ranks far behind its peers.“There are three countries on Earth right now that really are competitive in artificial intelligence,” Joly told the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce this week. “You know what? Canada is part of that.”Blacklock's Reporter said Joly credited what she called “sustained investments” by the federal government over the past three decades, and especially in the last 10 years. “We have the best talent and research,” she said, adding that AI “will be in everything” and that its adoption would be key to Canada’s future productivity and competitiveness.However, Joly did not cite any data to back her claim. .A 2024 report from the Commons human resources committee concluded that Canada was not a global leader in AI and instead ranked 21st out of 38 OECD countries in business adoption of the technology.The figures, based on research from Toronto Metropolitan University, found that only 3% of Canadian private companies had used AI “at some point.”While Joly said Canada needs to “work more on our data sovereignty and artificial intelligence sovereignty,” the committee’s findings suggest the country’s innovation gap remains wide despite decades of government spending.Federal interest in AI dates back to 1985, when Ottawa formed an Interdepartmental Working Group on Artificial Intelligence. A follow-up report in 1986 by Nordicity Group Ltd. predicted the technology might help process tax paperwork and track fish stocks.More recently, the Liberal Party’s 2021 election platform pledged to “attract and retain top academic talent” and develop AI standards. Last year, cabinet announced $50 million in five-year spending for AI training programs.
