Artificial intelligence firms in B.C. seek more support from federal government

A new survey found that more than half of B.C's. artificial intelligence companies believe the federal government is not doing enough to boost the sector, and half have considered leaving the province. The non-profit industry association, Artificial Intelligence Network of B.C., says there are more than 150 AI-related firms in B.C. and more than 65 submitted responses to its survey, which was conducted by CityAge and released this week. More than 56 per cent of respondents said the federal government needs to do more to help the local AI sector grow, with 31 per cent saying its efforts were lacking and 24 per cent saying they needed major attention. Half of respondents said they have considered moving their companies out of B.C. They main reasons they gave were a desire to connect to bigger markets (35 per cent) and to operate in a better taxation and regulatory environment (11 per cent).