The Government of Canada is putting $162 million behind a plan to make AI adoption easier for non-technical small and medium-sized businesses.
The news: The federal government has unveiled an AI internship program that seeks to bring young AI talent to Canada’s small and medium-sized businesses.
Speaking in Toronto on Friday at an event hosted by the Empire Club of Canada, AI Minister Evan Solomon announced a $162-million investment in Mitacs to create 10,000 paid AI work placements for students and recent graduates from AI-related programs.
From the source: “That is 10,000 opportunities to move dollars from post-secondary institutions to the wider economy; 10,000 opportunities to gain access to the expertise they need to put AI to work in a practical, reliable state,” Solomon said to an audience that included business leaders and 120 students. “It’s not just an employment program; it’s an adoption program. It builds the workforce of the future. It helps Canadian organizations be more productive and stay competitive.”
The context: With the funding announcement, the federal government is following through on a commitment it made in June, when it unveiled Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. That strategy promised up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities for young Canadians by 2031, including 10,000 through the Mitacs ADOPT and AI+X programs.
The investment was inspired in part by an internship program at Communitech, which paired young AI talent with local businesses in non-technical industries to support AI adoption.
Final thought: The government’s efforts and investment in AI adoption are part of a strategy to reduce the disconnect between technology skills and Canada’s non-technical business community. This program, according to Solomen, is intended to bridge that gap.
The long-term viability of the country’s ambitious AI strategy depends on the development of home-grown AI talent, and the ability to spread that talent beyond the tech sector. The program, if successful, could help address both challenges.
At the same time, it’s hard not to draw parallels to the promises made to the previous generation about lucrative and fulfilling careers in programming, which are starting to disappear thanks to AI.
Feature image courtesy The BetaKit Podcast.