Canada's AI imperative: From predictions to prosperity

As the transformative potential of AI technologies becomes clear, companies and countries around the world are frenetically competing to become leaders. They're doing so because evidence increasingly suggests that AI will be one of the leading economic drivers of our time, with recent estimates of worldwide AI spending reaching US$78 billion by 2022--creating worldwide business value of US$3.9 trillion.1 Thanks to the leadership of a small group of academics and institutions, Canada has been an early research and talent leader in the AI space to date. But the state of Canada's leadership in AI is precarious at best. Our research shows that Canada's current efforts are insufficient if we truly want to lead in an AI-driven world and shape what it might look like. Not enough Canadian businesses are investing in AI, given its transformative potential.