Cohere has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of Québec as la belle province explores using AI to make the public service more efficient.
The news: Toronto-based AI company Cohere announced a partnership with the Québec Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology today—its first MOU with a provincial government. It tasks the company with helping the government strategize about how to secure digital sovereignty and responsibly integrate AI into the public sector.
A news release notes that the partnership is “exploratory,” with no financial implications, and does not constitute a contract. Instead, the agreement covers exchanges, workshops, and discussions with Cohere to better understand AI’s potential uses in the public sector.
From the source: “By working with a leading Canadian player like Cohere, we ensure that we are making informed decisions that align with our vision of digital sovereignty,” France-Élaine Duranceau, Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology, said in a French statement which BetaKit has translated into English.
Following the thread: In addition to its new digital sovereignty plan, the Québec government is working to fulfill the objectives laid out in its 2021 five-year plan to integrate AI into the public sector. The ongoing strategy includes ensuring data security, developing a legal framework for AI, and focusing on talent and skills development adapted to AI use in the workplace.
For Cohere, the agreement marks a natural continuation of its focus on multilingual models. In late May, Cohere announced a new research initiative with Montréal AI institute Mila (which houses its Montréal office) to better integrate cultural context from Québec French into frontier AI models—a key asset for government use.
Final thought: The Québec government finds itself under fire for four different healthcare system software contracts that have seen cost overruns, according to Radio-Canada reporting, including some that involve US firms. An exploratory MOU with Cohere might be a signal of the government wanting to better scope a potential contract before moving to the procurement stage.
Feature image courtesy Gabriel Hutchinson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.