Media representatives are invited to attend ALL IN, the country’s most important gathering dedicated to Canadian artificial intelligence (AI). This event is held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal from September 11 to 12, as well as virtually.

ALL IN 2024 will focus on showcasing how Canada is building an AI-powered economy, driven by the collective efforts of the AI community—from those who imagine and define AI to those who build and adopt it.

As the Country of Honor, France will showcase an inspiring ecosystem of AI startups and well-established companies like Alstom, Thales, L’Oréal and OVHcloud that are already using AI in their daily operations—some of which are currently working with Canadian AI service and product providers.

The full program and the list of the 200 speakers are available here.

Highlights from Wednesday, September 11 (times in EDT) can be found here.

Earlier this year, Canada’s Department of National Defence released its CAF Artificial Intelligence Strategy.

The DND/CAF AI Strategy contains five key lines of effort in support of our enterprise-wide digital transformation program:

  • Identifying and fielding key capabilities required by DND/CAF;
  • Creating a culture that is supportive of AI innovation;
  • Establishing principles, processes, and practices to ensure that our use of AI is ethical, legal, inclusive, safe, and trusted;
  • Managing talent and training to meet workforce needs; and
  • Deepening strategic partnerships, internally and externally, with allies, industry, and academia.

The Strategy articulates Defence’s digital ambitions to modernize and mature our organization for the complex future challenges and opportunities. The successful adoption of AI will only come through the transformation and optimization of our data and information management as well as our operational and business practices.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced a $2.4 billion package of measures from the upcoming Budget 2024 to secure Canada’s AI advantage. These investments will accelerate job growth in Canada’s AI sector and beyond, boost productivity by helping researchers and businesses develop and adopt AI, and ensure this is done responsibly.

ADDITIONAL INFO

  • Since 2016, the federal government has committed: more than $16 billion to support scientific discovery, develop Canadian research talent, and attract top researchers from around the planet; and over $2 billion to foster growth across Canada’s AI ecosystem and digital infrastructure.
    • In 2017, Canada was the first country to establish a national AI strategy. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy is helping Canada maintain its position as a world leader in AI, businesses be more competitive, and Canadians benefit from growth in the digital economy. Phase 2 of the strategy was announced in 2022 with funding of more than $443 million.
    • The federal research granting agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – together have awarded $936.8 million in funding for AI-related research since 2017-18.
    • Since 2017, the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) provided $705.8 million in contributions to AI-related firms. This funding supported 1,111 firms and 3,837 projects in the AI and Big Data Technology space.
    • In addition, the NRC Digital Technologies Research Centre has invested over $27 million both directly to firms and on collaborative AI projects related to natural language processing, Indigenous languages, and high-performance computing for AI.
    • In 2023, Canada announced renewed funding for the Global Innovation Clusters, including Scale AI, bringing total funding for the company to up to $284 million. Scale AI is dedicated to promoting collaboration in AI and supply chain management research and innovation by strengthening linkages between researchers in industry, academia, and research institutes in Canada and abroad, and providing financial support for AI and supply chain management projects.
    • Canada has also made significant investments in fast-scaling AI-related companies through the Strategic Innovation Fund, including Sanctuary AI and semiconductor firm Ranovus.